WASHINGTON D.C.-  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. today announced the sites selected to house 4 space shuttle orbiters that are being retired.  A bid by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton was not among the winning proposals.  In response, Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) released the following statement.
“Ohioans have good reason to be disappointed in the final selection list.  The Ohio Congressional delegation was united and we worked hard to show NASA why a shuttle rightfully belongs in our state.  Ohio not only contributed to development of the shuttle, it is also the birthplace of aviation and continues to be a national leader in aerospace technology, innovation, jobs and education,” said Congresswoman Fudge.
“As a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, I will continue to raise awareness and support the valuable contributions made by Ohio’s aerospace workers in both government and the private sector.”
Congresswoman Fudge praised the Air Force Museum for including in its proposal a strong commitment to incorporate the shuttle orbiter in a program designed to advance knowledge of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields for students and all museum visitors. In addition to educational programming, NASA evaluated population densities and proximity to other tourist attractions in determining a site’s ability to maintain public access to the shuttles.
The Shuttle orbiters were awarded to the National Aeronautics and Space Museum in Washington D.C. (Discovery), California Science Center in Los Angeles (Endeavor), Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida (Atlantis)  and Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City (Enterprise, shuttle prototype).   Click here for the NASA news release.