On the recordMarch 25, 2010
With NASA searching for a new home for three soon-to-be-retired space shuttles, it is time to convince NASA that the Big Apple has the right stuff to showcase one of these iconic spacecraft. The perfect location for a retired space shuttle is the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Manhattan's West Side in my hometown of New York City. Yes, it will be a huge boon to New York's economy and a magnet for tourists. But showcasing a genuine space shuttle will not only bring visitors by the millions, it will inspire multitudes to learn, explore and dream, of adventure. It is perfect for NASA, too: The agency's explicit goal is to have these magnificent vehicles seen--and their history understood--by the greatest number of people possible. No other location in the nation can offer the millions and millions of visitors who will stream into the Intrepid to view and experience the shuttle. Housing an iconic spacecraft in New York City--the media center of the world--guarantees it will appear in countless news and entertainment programs broadcast throughout the nation and world, providing incalculable public-relations value to NASA.
