Dayton tied for shuttle after scoring error was found

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A scoring error would have placed the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in a three-way tie to receive a space shuttle, according to a NASA investigation.

Dayton’s Congressional delegation called the selection process flawed after the release of the report Thursday by NASA’s Inspector General Paul Martin.

“This report highlights the unfortunate fact that the shuttle decision was made in error, with a lack of accountability and transparency throughout the process,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek.

The report found the space agency did follow the law and regulations in awarding shuttles to museums in Washington, Los Angeles, Cape Canaveral, Fla., and New York, despite several errors made during its site evaluation process.

“NASA may have followed the law when awarding the shuttles, but it is still guilty of incredibly bad judgment,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Officials from the Dayton area and Houston — communities that didn’t get shuttles — called for the investigation. They said they believe political influences played a role in site selections. NASA said the decision was based on attendance, funding, population and the facility.

“I remain convinced that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the National Museum of the Air Force would have been an appropriate place for the shuttle to land,” said U.S. Rep. Michael Turner, R-Centerville.

Brown criticized the selection criteria revealed in the report, which weighted international access ahead of geographic diversity in the United States. NASA’s recommendation team awarded points to each of the 13 potential sites based on nine criteria, including international access. A scoring error for the Air Force Museum would have ranked the facility in a tie for a shuttle with Cape Canaveral and New York City.

A chart ranking the sites gave the museum five points in the “transportation risk/effort” category, when it should have received 10 points, because of its close proximity to Dayton International Airport, the investigation found.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the error was “immaterial” to his decision because other locations better serve the agency’s goal of spurring interest in science, technology and space exploration.

NASA’s space shuttle era began with the maiden voyage of Columbia in 1981 and ended after 135 missions when Atlantis landed on July 21.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum had already been promised one shuttle for its hangar in Dulles, Va. It will get Discovery, and give up the Enterprise, a test vehicle that never flew in orbit. That will be shipped to the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum in New York City. Atlantis will stay in Cape Canaveral and go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Endeavour will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2000. The Associated Press contributed to this report.