NASA to sell equipment shuttle spacecraft

If you want to own a special collectible item and have a lot of money, there is a unique opportunity to buy the shuttle program equipment that the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) is looking for. liquidation.

According to Discovery magazine, when it ended its historic shuttle program to move into a new phase of development, NASA was quietly proceeding to sell off unused devices.

From the Apollo program to the missions of other space shuttles, the US aerospace agency has developed and built many facilities and centers for bringing astronauts into space. Things like mobile launchers, which were built for Saturn V missiles, were later repaired to accommodate the shuttle. Launchers from the Apollo era were also refurbished to match emissions from the shuttle's launch configuration. As the only spacecraft to land like an ordinary plane, NASA built a 305-meter runway at Apollo's landing center.

US shuttle

However, when no more shuttles were launched into space and landed on Earth, these specially built facilities became useless. NASA hopes to change this situation by renting facilities and in some cases selling them to appropriate companies.

On NASA's liquidation list there are a number of very interesting items, such as the 39A launcher - one of the two launchers that started the Apollo missions and the shuttle. NASA is also leasing space inside the massive Assembly Building (VAB). This 160-meter-high structure used to be a place to store Saturn V missiles during assembly and then a space for maintenance of shuttles between space flights, but is now abandoned. Boeing has re-leased the VAB facility and utilized its large space to assemble compartments containing CST-100 for the project to bring people to the International Space Station (ISS) in the future.

In addition, NASA is leasing a Hangar N facility with high-tech testing equipment, a shuttle control center and numerous buildings and properties of the Kennedy Space Center.

Much of the motivation behind NASA's decision to lease these facilities is the need for capital to maintain them. By the end of the year, the money provided by the federal government for the maintenance of these facilities will run out. Machines will start to rust and buildings will start to be damaged to the point where they cannot be used in Florida's salt-rich air conditions, if not maintained continuously.

NASA only publicly called for bids and was considering proposals to hire their facilities in Florida secretly, so bidders would avoid being looked at by competitors and the public. The entire process of NASA's final selection and decision process is expected to last for the next 6 months so any organization and individual with sufficient economic potential and interest can submit a proposal to this agency. .