WHEREAS, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 7 |
(NASA) intends to select a limited number of museums for the | 8 |
display of the space shuttle orbiters that will be retired at the | 9 |
conclusion of the space shuttle program. The National Museum of | 10 |
the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base | 11 |
near Dayton, Ohio would be an excellent choice for the display of | 12 |
a space shuttle orbiter; and | 13 |
WHEREAS, The Museum, the world's oldest and largest museum of | 14 |
military aviation, is the depository for the Air Force's National | 15 |
Historical Collection and features more than 400 aerospace | 16 |
vehicles, including Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space capsules. | 17 |
With 1.3 million visitors each year, the Museum is the most | 18 |
visited free tourist destination in Ohio and is one of the most | 19 |
visited in the country; and | 20 |
WHEREAS, The Museum is ready to accommodate a space shuttle | 21 |
orbiter with one million square feet of climate-controlled exhibit | 22 |
space and an adjacent runway that is approved for a landing of the | 23 |
shuttle carrier aircraft with a shuttle. In addition, the Museum | 24 |
employs professional aerospace vehicle restoration staff who are | 25 |
experienced in working with hazardous aerospace materials such as | 26 |
those found on the shuttle and who will ensure the preservation of | 27 |
the shuttle to the highest museum standards; and | 28 |
WHEREAS, The Museum is located near Dayton, Ohio, the | 29 |
birthplace of aviation and the home of the Wright Brothers, and in | 30 |
the National Aviation Heritage Area, an area designated by | 31 |
Congress that includes the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, Dayton | 32 |
Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and National Aviation | 33 |
Hall of Fame. Finally, the Museum is easily accessible from major | 34 |
population centers and is within a 600-mile radius of 61% of the | 35 |
United States population; and | 36 |
WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Air Force has requested that | 42 |
the NASA Administrator transfer a space shuttle orbiter to the Air | 43 |
Force for placement in the Air Force's National Historical | 44 |
Collection through interagency transfer using existing statutes | 45 |
and regulations. This transfer will ensure that a taxpayer-funded | 46 |
space shuttle orbiter will be kept under the ownership and | 47 |
stewardship of the United States government and the American | 48 |
people; now therefore be it | 49 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly | 56 |
of the State of Ohio, urge the President of the United States and | 57 |
the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space | 58 |
Administration (NASA) to honor the request of the Department of | 59 |
the Air Force for an interagency transfer of an operational space | 60 |
shuttle orbiter so that it can be displayed at the National Museum | 61 |
of the United States Air Force as a national tribute to the | 62 |
American spirit of space exploration and to the indelible | 63 |
partnership between NASA and the Department of the Air Force, | 64 |
which helped make the space shuttle program possible; and be it | 65 |
further | 66 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly | 67 |
authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the | 68 |
United States, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and | 69 |
Space Administration, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States | 70 |
House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary | 71 |
of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional | 72 |
delegation, and the news media of Ohio. | 73 |