Want a Shuttle?

Although this has sat off Florida State Route 3 south of Kennedy Space Center since 2005, I just now got around to posting it in the Field Guide. Being on my way to the office, I could see it every day. I remember noticing the large blue tarp covered structure and thinking it was shaped like a space shuttle nose, but it wasn't until after a bad storm when wind blew down the tarp that revealed what it was. One day, not long after the storm, a car was parked nearby and the gate was open. I met Chuck ryan, who began building the mockup as an engineering project while attending the California Polytechnic State University. He brought it out to Florida at the request of NASA to be used as an emergency trainer by the KSC Fire and Rescue Department. At the time I met Chuck, the site had flooded and I could not enter. But the tarp was replaced, occasionally being disarrayed by other wind storms.

Last week, the tarp was removed, the windows covered (the red covers are similar to those that protect the orbiter's windows) and a new name painted on: Resolution! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name). At least it is now clearly apparent what it is.

I know Chuck would like to find a good home for his baby, preferably one that helps protect it from further destruction by the elements. It has a crew cabin including a fully equipped flight deck.