Obama’s request brings shuttle one step closer to area

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WASHINGTON — From the very start, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has had a clear favorite: It wanted the space shuttle Atlantis.

On Tuesday, that dream came one step closer to becoming reality.

President Barack Obama’s proposed $3.73 trillion budget for the 2012 fiscal year included this request: $14 million as a one-time payment from the U.S. Air Force to NASA “for preparation and delivery of Space Shuttle Atlantis to the National Museum of the Air Force.”

The Air Force and the museum both pushed for Atlantis because it was the shuttle that most often carried military payloads into space. The Air Force had long been involved with development of the shuttles and provided many of the pilots for the orbiter.

“I think what it shows is that the Air Force is serious about having one of the shuttles at the National Museum of the Air Force,” said Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek.

The museum reacted cautiously Tuesday night. Rob Bardua, a spokesman for the museum, acknowledged that the administration had requested the money, but said “the proposed budget must ultimately be approved by Congress.”

Michael Gessel, a Washington-based vice president for the Dayton Development Coalition, said “the NASA process has not been finished. NASA has not decided where the shuttles will go. The appearance of the item in the budget suggests that the Air Force is preparing, if they should be selected to receive the shuttle.”

If the Atlantis is donated to Wright-Patterson, it would be a major boost for the area. The museum attracts 1.3 million visitors annually, and some suggest that number could reach 2 million with a shuttle on display.

The budget request is likely to provoke an intense struggle on Capitol Hill as the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are also seeking an orbiter. The shuttle Discovery has already been promised to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, said he would write House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., to “ask him to preserve these dollars in the budget.”

Some ardent supporters of bringing the shuttle to Dayton remained skeptical. Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance in Dayton, said “if the decision’s made for a shuttle to come to Dayton, then there would be money in the budget for that to happen. But I don’t believe that decision has been made.”