NASA to Hand Over Shuttle Trainer 'Keys' to Museum

Ceremony in Houston Jan. 19 

SEATTLE, Jan. 17, 2012--NASA's Johnson Space Center will officially handover the "keys" to the Space Shuttle Full Fuselage Trainer to the Seattle Museum of Flight in a ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19. News media representatives are invited to attend.

The ceremony will include an official signing of the Space Act Agreement that will transfer ownership of the trainer, which includes both a crew cockpit and shuttle cargo bay area, and was used to familiarize astronauts with shuttle cockpit controls and and emergency exit procedures over the life of the Space Shuttle Program.

The museum will accept responsibility for the Full Fuselage Trainer, and its transportation to Seattle. By donating Johnson Space Center's shuttle training resources to outside partners, NASA hopes to find areas of common interest that will foster new technologies that improve life here on Earth, and pave the way for future human exploration in space.

JSC Director Michael L. Coats will welcome guests, including the Museum of Flight's President Douglas King and Mission Operations Director Paul Hill, who will provide remarks on the partnership agreement. The signing ceremony will be followed by a question-and-answer session for media.

To arrange for credentials, contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 4 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Jan. 18.

For more information about NASA's Johnson Space Center, visit:

 www.nasa.gov/johnson 

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The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn^® -- the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The Airpark includes outdoor displays with the first jet Air Force One, a Concorde airliner, and the first Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The Museum aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. The Education Office offers weekend family programs, programs for students and educators, and overnight camps for children. McCormick & Schmick's Wings Café is on site.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, $13 for active military, $9 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit

www.museumofflight.org