UPDATE: EXPECT ONE HOUR DELAY.The 24-foot-long crew compartment of the space shuttle trainer was loaded onto a NASA Super Guppy aircraft at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston on this morning. The space shuttle trainer was used to train astronauts for the past three decades. The Super Guppy is scheduled to arrive at Seattle’s Museum of Flight with the Crew Compartment on Saturday, June 30. Festivities are scheduled all weekend for the family.
UPDATE, SAT. 9am: Museum of flight says to expect one hour delay
The 24-foot-long crew compartment of the space shuttle full-fuselage trainer, positioned inside a special cradle for travel, was loaded onto a NASA Super Guppy aircraft at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston on this morning. The space shuttle trainer was used to train astronauts for the past three decades.
The Super Guppy is scheduled to arrive at Seattle’s Museum of Flight with the Crew Compartment on Saturday, June 30. The museum signed a Space Act Agreement during a brief January ceremony at the Houston Space Center, which transferred ownership of the trainer over to the Seattle facility.
The Guppy will land at Boeing Field at 11:00 a.m. It will then taxi to the Museum of Flight parking lot, where it will be parked. The crew will then begin preparing it to be unloaded.
Meanwhile, at about 11:45, a ceremony will begin to welcome the trainer, that will feature speeches by Museum President and CEO Doug King, Chairman of the Board Mike Hallman, Gov. Christine Gregoire, and Astronauts Greg Johnson and Dr. Janet Kavandi (who is also the Director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston). Once the ceremony has concluded – roughly 30 minutes later – the nose of the Guppy will be opened and they will begin removing the crew compartment.
It will then be placed on a 60k Tunner moving vehicle, shuttled across East Marginal Way and placed into the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, where it will be secured by roughly 6:00 p.m. that evening.
The entire day is open to the public. The festivities officially kick off at 10:00 a.m. when the museum opens. If patrons want to go inside the museum they will still have to pay entrance fee, but all the activities outside are free to the public.
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ShuttleFest 2012 Presented by Boeing/BECU
The Arrival of the Space Shuttle Trainer
Schedule of Events
Saturday June 30
Arrival - NASA Super Guppy flies to Seattle from Travis AFB in Fairfield, CA with Crew Compartment (most recognizable piece) of the Space Shuttle Trainer on board.
7:30 AM Super Guppy departs Fairfield, CA – Museum/NASA confirm Guppy parking orientation based on weather and wind at Boeing Field
10:00 AM VIP parking opens at north end of the east parking lot. Museum guests park in the south lot or in one of the adjacent Boeing parking lots
10:30 AM Super Guppy **intends to fly over Portland, Olympia and twice around Lake Washington, downtown Seattle/Space Needle, and Boeing Field before landing at Boeing Field in front of Museum of Flight
11:00 AM Super Guppy arrives at Boeing Field/Museum of Flight and taxis to Fixed Base Operator to refuel before moving into designated Museum area on east side, weather dependent. BBQ begins for visitors and runs through 3 PM
11:15 AM 60k Tunner (machine for unloading Space Shuttle Trainer) is brought into parking lot and staged for arrival of Shuttle Trainer aboard the Super Guppy
11:30 AM Super Guppy taxis into Museum’s parking lot – it needs 150 feet of clearance in front of hinge to accommodate unloading
11:45 AM Welcome Ceremony begins! Cargo door begins to open (this process takes ½ hour, so it will open as welcome ceremony takes place.) Speakers include Museum President and CEO Doug King, Museum of Flight Board President Mike Hallman, Governor Christine Gregoire (confirmed) and Super Guppy pilots Greg Johnson and Dr. Janet Kavandi
1:00 PM Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment is moved from Super Guppy to 60k Tunner
2:00 PM United States Air Force drives the 60k Tunner with container around the north end of the Museum, across East Marginal Way, north of the Space Gallery and into the parking lot west of the Space Gallery
2:30 PM Museum visitors can view Super Guppy cargo area while
2:30 PM Northwest Astronauts sign autographs in Side Gallery for members
4:30 PM Container loaded back into the Super Guppy
5:00 PM Super Guppy is closed
Unloading Container in Parking Lot West of Space Gallery
2:30 PM Visitors watch unloading from a safe distance
2:30 PM Crane (Ness & Campbell Crane) and construction crew (Pacific Studio) are positioned in the parking lot west of the Space Gallery to support the unloading of the Crew Compartment
2:30 PM The Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment is lifted out of the container and placed on steel base
4:30 PM The Crew Compartment is attached to the steel base and rolled into the Space Gallery (this time is fluid as it is only an estimate that this process will take 2 hours)
6:00 PM The Crew Compartment is positioned in the Gallery and the Gallery is secured
Sunday, July 1
10:00 AM Super Guppy open for tours until 3:00 PM
2:00 PM Public program with Super Guppy Pilot (and Astronaut) Greg Johnson and crew in Space Gallery
4:00 PM Super Guppy Pilot (and Astronaut) Greg Johnson and crew meet with Washington Aerospace Scholars (W.A.S.)
Monday, July 2
TBD Super Guppy departs Boeing Field in early morning . Time is TBD
**All weather and pilot dependent and schedules are estimates only!
