The The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reportedly lowered the costs of the space shuttles that will be available after the legendary space fleet retires from active duty in Fall this year. The space shuttles that have conducted NASA space mission since the year 1972 will now be up for grabs at $28.8 million a piece, down from $42 million.
Since the decision of decommissioning of the now aging space shuttle program in the year 2008, NASA had put out offers fort the sale of these massive technological marvels that carry the legacy of man’s quest to master the vast expanse of space, there have been numerous inquiries from various institutions and NASA is banking upon more interested parties. The space agency has extended the deadline for the submission of proposals till Feb. 19th, 2010. Out of the four space shuttles currently under NASA’s governance, the Discovery has already been committed to the prestigious Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and of the remaining three, shuttle Atlantis and the Endeavour are still available for purchase.
However, it is still unclear whether the fourth space shuttle, the Enterprise, that never reached the operational status will be up for sale or not. But, many believe that the Enterprise will also be made available, which is currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum. The lowering of the prices of the space shuttles is in part of NASA’s cost assessment that includes the transportation of the vessel from the Kennedy Space Center to its designated destinations and the cost that would incurred to display the shuttle in a climate controlled building. NASA has on the other released the space shuttle engines and other accessories absolutely free of charge, with just the transportation costs to be incurred by the owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment