Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and 17 members of New York’s and New Jersey’s House Delegation sent a letter to NASA’s administrator requesting that one of three retiring Space Shuttles be located in New York City, at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

The following is the text of the letter (also viewable as a pdf here):

April 20, 2010

The Honorable Charles Bolden, Jr.
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Mail Suite 9o42
Washington DC 20546-0001

Dear Administrator Bolden:

We write to offer our strong support for locating one of the three retiring Space Shuttle Orbiters – Discovery, Endeavour, or Atlantis – in New York City at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. We believe that New York is an ideal home for the Shuttle, and would allow the millions of tourists who visit every year to learn about space exploration and NASA programming.

The Space Shuttle Orbiters are a symbol of our nation’s – and indeed the world’s – foremost achievement in the exploration of space. New York City and the Intrepid Museum are uniquely positioned to highlight that achievement to the fullest degree.

The Intrepid Museum is centered on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, which is a national historical landmark with long-standing ties to the NASA space program. The Intrepid served as one of NASA’s primary recovery vessels for early space flights and now is the base for a cultural and educational institution that has welcomed more than 10 million visitors since its founding in 1982. The Museum features well-established educational programming and exhibits on history, science, sea, air, and space that are a clear fit for the story of space exploration and the development of the Space Shuttle. Further, New York is a national center for cultural and educational institutions, many of which can support programming associated with a Space Shuttle exhibit at the Intrepid location.

Locating the Space Shuttle in New York City would attract visitors from among the over 15 million area residents and over 45 million tourists who visit New York every year.

Finally, the Intrepid is committed to obtaining funding for the project costs, including the costs outlined by NASA to prepare the Space Shuttle, to transport it to New York, and to construct a facility appropriate for its proper care, preservation, and display.

The Intrepid Museum provides the optimal location to showcase the achievements and history of the Space Shuttle program. We are confident that when examined on the merits you will agree. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Rep. Gary Ackerman
Rep. Steve Rothman
Rep. Charles Rangel
Rep. Peter King
Rep. John Hall
Rep. Eliot Engel
Rep. Edolphus Towns
Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Joe Crowley
Rep. Nita Lowey
Rep. Paul Tonko
Rep. Anthony Weiner
Rep. Scott Murphy
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy
Rep. Steve Israel
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Michael McMahon