Press Releases

Congressman Michael Turner has sent a letter to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Charles F. Bolden reiterating his support of the space agency assigning a retired space shuttle orbiter for public display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Congressman Turner’s letter is a follow up to a meeting with NASA Administrator Bolden on January 20 in which he continued to advocate on behalf of NMUSAF as the site of a NASA orbiter.  Last April, Congressman Turner led the Ohio Congressional Delegation in the state’s initial request that a space orbiter be designated to the Air Force museum.  NASA recently issued a follow-up Request for Information (RFI) to organizations interested in acquiring and publicly displaying a Space Shuttle Orbiter at the conclusion of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.  

“The NMUSAF is ideally suited to house one of the space shuttles set to be retired.”  Congressman Turner’s letter continues: “With approximately 1.3 million visitors annually, and located 600 miles from 60 percent of the U.S. population, the NMUSAF has identified the Air Force’s space missions as their most important exhibit opportunity.  The museum is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum and has an outstanding reputation in preserving and displaying America’s aviation history.”

“Retiring a space shuttle orbiter at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will serve as an educational attraction for students and those interested in learning more about the history of America’s space program. In addition, it will encourage local tourism, job creation and economic growth across the Dayton region,” Turner added.