Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) today applauded the decision by NASA to award New York’s Intrepid Air, Space and Sea Museum one of the decommissioned space shuttles.  The Enterprise, a test model which flew but never orbited in space, will be displayed in New York.  The other three retiring vessels – the Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavor – will also find homes in Florida, Washington DC, and Los Angeles.  Rep. Engel wrote to Vice President Joe Biden, almost exactly one year ago, calling for the historic Intrepid to be one of the locations chosen for the shuttle.

“New York may not be our nation’s capital, but it is the heart and soul of American culture.  It is only logical that the shuttle should be on display in New York.  Millions of people from around the world visit the Intrepid and now they will see one of the marvels of our recent investment in space exploration.  It is only fitting as the Intrepid was once tasked with retrieving our brave astronauts from the earliest manned space flights after they returned to Earth in the Pacific Ocean.  Being able to see the shuttle up close will help inspire the next generation of leaders who will one day carry the baton for NASA.  There was no doubt to me that New York and the Intrepid had the ‘right stuff’ to house this technological marvel, and I look forward to our next era of exploring the Final Frontier.”

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