NASA Space Shuttle Retirement

Floor Speech

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I wish to spend the rest of this time talking about a local matter of some concern. One of the nice things about being a Senator, you work on big matters and small matters and they are all enjoyable and all are important. This isn't small but more local, shall I say.

With NASA searching for a new home for three soon-to-be-retired space shuttles, it is time to convince NASA that the Big Apple has the right stuff to showcase one of these iconic spacecraft.

The perfect location for a retired space shuttle is the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Manhattan's West Side in my hometown of New York City.

Yes, it will be a huge boon to New York's economy and a magnet for tourists.

But showcasing a genuine space shuttle will not only bring visitors by the millions, it will inspire multitudes to learn, explore and dream, of adventure.

It is perfect for NASA, too: The agency's explicit goal is to have these magnificent vehicles seen--and their history understood--by the greatest number of people possible.

No other location in the nation can offer the millions and millions of visitors who will stream into the Intrepid to view and experience the shuttle.

Housing an iconic spacecraft in New York City--the media center of the world--guarantees it will appear in countless news and entertainment programs broadcast throughout the nation and world, providing incalculable public-relations value to NASA.

Just yesterday I spoke to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and he has informed me that the Intrepid is in good shape to be the permanent hangar for one of the shuttles.

The Intrepid is competing with museums in 25 other cities to win one of the shuttles, including Washington's Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

NASA has been clear that they intend to award the shuttles to the sites where the most people could view them.

With the Intrepid already drawing one million visitors a year it is clear that the Intrepid is the best possible spot for a shuttle.

NASA also requires any potential host location to raise significant funds.

I have no doubt that the Intrepid's drawing power and New York City's deep and diverse philanthropic community are more than able to compile all the resources needed.

Yet skeptics may ask why a space shuttle should be brought to New York City.

Perhaps they don't know that the Intrepid led the recovery of astronauts during the Mercury and Gemini programs in the 1960s.

The exhibit will be sure to attract heavy foot traffic too: The Intrepid will house the shuttle in a glass enclosure on Pier 86--close to Times Square and many other tourist attractions, accessible from major airports, passenger-ship terminals and highways.

Countless boys and girls, as well as adults, with boundless imaginations, will be able to stroll over to the West Side and take in the truly magnificent icon of science, exploration and innovation.

With 20 institutions across the country competing to receive one of the retired shuttles, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis, we should all join the fight to bring a space shuttle to the greatest city in the world. a no-brainer.

It is a non-brainer.

I, along with some of my New York colleagues, are working hard to land the shuttle here, and I hope we are able to convince NASA that we are ready, willing--and very able--to be the home for a shuttle.

I yield the floor, and I note the absence of a quorum.

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