Seattle's Museum of Flight Welcomes Final Portion of Space Shuttle Trainer on What Could Be Super Guppy's Final Trip to Region

Photo courtesty of Joshua Trujillo of the Seattle PI. More photos can be seen here

For the third time in just over a month and potentially the last time ever, NASA’s Super Guppy could be spotted high above the Seattle skyline as it delivered the final portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer to Seattle’s Museum of Flight on Thursday morning.

Following a low fly-over that buzzed the heads of hundreds of spectators, NASA’s Super Guppy landed at Boeing Field at 10 a.m. with the forward portion of the payload bay on board. It taxied past The Museum of Flight to Boeing’s Military Flight Center, where the payload bay was moved from the Super Guppy onto an Air Force “Tunner 60K” loader and slowly transported across East Marginal Way to the Museum’s Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. This could be the Super Guppy’s final flight to the region as many experts believe the plane will be retired within the next several years.     

“The third and final Super Guppy delivery marks the end of a complex and hectic process that would not have been possible without the tremendous support from NASA, our members and the people of this great region,” said Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King. “As one chapter comes to end, another begins, which will see the completion of the Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit and the grand re-opening of the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.”

Built in the 1970s, the Shuttle Trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which each of the 335 space shuttle astronauts trained. It will be on display in the 15,500-square foot Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, where it joins a collection of other rare space artifacts including Simonyi’s Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft and interactive exhibits showcasing space travel from the earliest days of the space shuttle program to the future of commercial space flight. The payload bay portion of the shuttle trainer is 61 feet long, 19 feet wide and 23.5 feet high.    


There has been a lot of great coverage on the third portion of the Space Shuttle Trainer delivery aboard the Super Guppy to the Museum of Flight. Here are a few of the stories posted today:

Last big space shuttle trainer section arrives in Seattle on the Seattle PI

Super Guppy makes final delivery to Seattle Today on KING5.com

3rd and final Shuttle delivery to Seattle museum on The Seattle Times

The Super Guppy arrives at the Museum of Flight today--we're on board!

Oliver aboard the Super Guppy, which made its third and final delivery to the Museum of Flight this morning

On the runway as the Shuttle Trainer is unloaded from the Super Guppy

More photos and news to come!



Museum of Flight Welcomes Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment

The most recognizable piece of the Shuttle Trainer arrived at Seattle's Museum of Flight Saturday, June 30, amid crowds of cheering spectators. The Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment, which is 28.75 feet long, 19 feet wide and 23.5 feet high, was transported in NASA's Super Guppy aircraft. The Shuttle Trainer is being delivered in several stages over the next few months and will be on display in its entirety at The Museum of Flight's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

The Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment being loaded into the Super Guppy aircraft at Houston's Johnson Space Center, ready to make its final resting place at Seattle's Museum of Flight  

Built in the 1970s, the Shuttle Trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which each of the 335 space shuttle astronauts trained.

The arrival of the Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment kicked off ShuttleFest 2012, a week-long celebration to commemorate the historic artifact's arrival to its final home.

To read more about the Shuttle Trainer or ShuttleFest 2012, click here to read the article from MSNBC.com.

For photos of the event welcoming the Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment from the Seattle PI, click here.

Museum of Flight prepares to welcome shuttle trainer

NASA's full-fuselage trainer has helped train every crew in the U.S. space shuttle program and is coming to Seattle to stay in just under two weeks. The Museum of Flight will become the FFT's permanent home where visitors can step inside for an astronaut's-eye view.

The massive wooden structure is being flown to Seattle in sections in the Super Guppy cargo plane. The front end of the FFT is scheduled to arrive in front of dignitaries and cheering spectators at Seattle's Boeing Field shortly before noon Saturday, June 30.

To read more about the full-fuselage trainer, the Super Guppy or the events surrounding its arrival, see yesterday's front page article and supplementary information published by the Seattle Times.

Recent Seattle Times articles on the full-fuselage trainer's arrival:

NASA's full-size shuttle trainer hitching a ride to Seattle
Oddball NASA craft is perfect for hauling shuttle trainer to Seattle
Astronaut helping transport NASA trainer to area is Seattle native

The Museum of Flight in Seattle welcomes first portion of NASA's Space Shuttle Trainer

This morning, as the space shuttle Discovery made its dramatic arrival in Washington D.C., The Museum of Flight in Seattle unveiled the first sections of NASA's Space Shuttle Trainer, three Engine Bells, which will be permanently housed at the Museum’s Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King hosted a brief news conference to announce the arrival and to unpack one of the three Engine Bells, which are approximately nine feet in diameter and roughly 800 pounds each. The Shuttle Trainer is being delivered in several stages in the coming months, with the most recognizable portion – the Crew Compartment – tentatively scheduled for delivery on June 16 aboard NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft.

Workers remove one of the three Engine Bells from the Shuttle Trainer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Each Engine Bell is approximately nine feet in diameter and weighs more than 800 pounds. Photo courtesy of NASA.   

Built in the 1970s, the Shuttle Trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which every space shuttle astronaut trained for space flight. It will be on display in the 15,500-sq.-ft. Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, where it will be joined by a collection of other rare space artifacts including Simonyi’s Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft and interactive exhibits showcasing space travel from the earliest days of the space shuttle program to the future of commercial space. 

See the Seattle PI's story here. Or check out The Seattle Times' take here.