NASA wants $42 million for retired space shuttle

by Meg Massie on

NASA has three space shuttles scheduled for retirement in the next two years, and for the first time ever, museums will have to shell out big bucks if they want to display the crafts.

NASA estimates that it will cost $42 million to get each shuttle ready for display — including $6 million to transport it — and they are asking the museums to foot the bill. NASA has never charged institutions like the Smithsonian in the past, but with the Ares I rocket and Orion capsule believed to be well over budget, NASA insiders say the program needs to pinch pennies wherever possible.

$42 million seems steep, but NASA isn’t trying to squeeze a profit out of these charges. This is simply their estimated cost for safing, display preparation, and transportation of a shuttle. “Safing” means decontamination of the fuel systems and removal of other safety and environmental hazards.

No museums have commented yet as to whether or not they would be willing to pay NASA’s asking price, which, by the way, is “subject to change.”

Click the images to learn about the most unusual museums in the world — from funeral customs, to penises, to velvet paintings, to stripping.


Renovated National Aquarium offers an inexpensive option

by Jamie Rhein on

Gas prices aren’t the only expense of a vacation that pinch the finances. Admission fees can be a real downer. If one is traveling with young children, huge, expensive museums can be overwhelming.

These are two reasons why the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. sounds appealing to me.

At $5 for adults, and $2.50 for children, the admission is not even close to the $18.75 amount for adults to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky. The Newport Aquarium, the last one I visited, is quite impressive, but sometimes I’d rather opt for a simpler venue for less money.

Last year, when we went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, much of our time was spent finding a bathroom and each other. Due to time constraints, we hurried through sections where I wanted to linger. When mixing children with large museums, it’s often necessary to leave out entire exhibits in order to not have a kid meltdown halfway through.

With a smaller museum, like the National Aquarium that claims you can see the whole thing in 45 minutes, you don’t have to pick and chose among options. At the end of an hour you can end up at the gift shop satisfied and have time and energy left to take in something else close by. I’d head to the outdoor sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art for starters.

Along with the aquarium’s renovations that include new signage, carpeting and exhibits is a new theme–“America’s Aquatic Treasures.” Look for alligators, eels, sea horses, a baby loggerhead turtle and more. [see Washington Post article]

If you can make here on August 9, it’s Shark Day. There are several activities geared towards kids and talks adults would enjoy.

Smithsonian Exhibit: Encompassing the Globe

by Kelly Amabile on

A fascinating exhibit about the golden age of discovery opened this week at the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery. Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries is the largest exhibit in the Sackler Gallery’s 19-year history. The exhibit runs through mid-September in Washington D.C.

If you can’t make a visit, at least check out their website, which features a slick flash-enhanced overview of the exhibit. Beginning with background about the roots of Portuguese exploration, the exhibit continues with sections on the Indian Ocean, Africa, China, Japan and Brazil. There are some cool things you can do with Google Earth too. The Washington Post has an online photo gallery of over 15 works from the show, which also features objects from Oman, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The exhibit focuses on the cultural exchanges that took place between the Portuguese explorers during their travels, highlighting masterpieces of art that were traded and collected during these journeys.