SpaceShipTwo's maiden space flight, set for next year, will be a family affair for Richard Branson, with both his children accompanying him on the trip. Branson's space programme also has more than 500 paid-up passengers waiting in line.

As any parent knows, keeping children occupied and happy on a mammoth cross-country car journey can be one of the greatest challenges known to man, so quite how Richard Branson is going to contend with a couple of kids in the back of his SpaceShipTwo aircraft on its maiden trip into the stratosphere and beyond is anyones guess. A game of I Spy, perhaps?

Luckily for Branson, his kids are grown up now, so any fuss should be kept to a minimum, but either way, this is surely going to be a family trip to remember.

The billionaire entrepreneur and adventurer announced at the UKs Farnborough International Airshow this week that daughter Holly and son Sam will be accompanying him when SpaceShipTwo embarks on its maiden flight some time next year, taking off from a specially built spaceport in New Mexico.

The flight will mark the the beginning of Bransons ambitious Virgin Galactic space tourism program.

More than 500 people have already signed up for flights into space on his aircraft, shelling out almost $200,000 (128,000) for the privilege. Thats right, just under $200,000 to take off, fly around a bit and land back in the same place. However, one assumes theyll have a story to dine out on until the day they die though hopefully the dinner guests will be different each time the experience is recounted.

SpaceShipTwo, which can carry two pilots and six passengers, will be flown high above Earth on the back of the WhiteKnightTwo launch aircraft. After reaching a height of 15,000 meters (50,000 feet), the two aircraft will separate before SpaceShipTwo blasts into space.

Passengers will be able to have fun floating around the cabin while enjoying spectacular views of Earth. After a couple of hours, the aircraft will glide back to the spaceport for a (hopefully) smooth landing.

Virgin Galactics goal is to revolutionize the way we get to space, Branson said in a statement outlining the space programs latest plans. Im immensely proud of what we have already achieved as we draw near to regular suborbital flights on SpaceShipTwo.

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Kids in space – Branson to take family on SpaceShipTwo’s maiden flight

11-07-2012 13:14 Virgin Galactic took centre stage at Farnborough Airshow on Wednesday as the world's first commercial spaceline announced plans for a satellite-launching service. A full-size replica of SpaceshipTwo (SS2) -- a two-pilot, six-passenger craft capable of sub-orbital space flight -- was also unveiled. Future passengers have paid $200000 dollars each for a ticket to space. Duration: 00:54

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Virgin Galactic charts new flight plan at Farnborough - Video

POSTED AT: 11:32 am

FARNBOROUGH, England (AP) The first space flight of Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer says he will be joined by his adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism revealed that the three will make a 60-mile journey on the SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year. Some 120 other tourists who have signed up for the $200,000 two-hour trips into space over the coming years were also present at the Farnborough Airshow south of London.

British billionaire Richard Branson poses for the photographers in the window of a replica of the Virgin Galactic, which according to the company will be the worlds first commercial spaceline, at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Next year, Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space, the thrill-seeker told a packed conference Wednesday on the third day of the show. Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing.

Virgin says it has 529 paid up passengers already one more than the total of space travelers since the former Soviet Unions Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961.

The future space tourists got their first glimpse of the SS2, with a replica set up outside the auditorium as the real one gets fixed up in the Mojave Desert. It will take off from a spaceport in New Mexico that was designed by British architect Lord Foster. The craft is designed to seat six people as well as the two pilots.

The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

I wanted to be the first Irishman in space and Im really looking forward to it, said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who was the first to sign up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britains Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

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Branson’s Kids Will Be on Board For First Spaceport Flight

The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer confirmed Wednesday that he will be joined by his two adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism said the three will make the journey 62 miles above the Earth aboard SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year.

"Next year, Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space," Branson said at the Farnborough Airshow south of London. "Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing."

Virgin says it has 529 paid-up passengers already - one more than the total of space travelers since the former Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961. The cost of the two-hour trip is $200,000.

At the air show, some future space tourists glimpsed a replica of the SS2 set up outside the auditorium as the actual one undergoes flight testing in California's Mojave Desert. It will take off from a spaceport in New Mexico that was designed by British architect Lord Foster. The craft is designed to seat six people as well as the two pilots.

The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

"I wanted to be the first Irishman in space, and I'm really looking forward to it," said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who signed up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

Branson also said a new launch vehicle - LauncherOne - would take small satellites into space at a much lower cost than is now possible. The Virgin Galactic team said a number of companies were hoping to use LauncherOne, which is expected to begin operations in 2016 and can carry up to 500 pounds of weight.

"It will be a critical new tool for the global research community, enabling us all to learn about our home planet more quickly and affordably," he said.

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Bransons will ride his company's 1st space flight

By Pan Pylas, The Associated Press

FARNBOROUGH, England - The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer confirmed Wednesday he will be joined by his two adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism revealed that the three will make the journey 62-miles (100 kilometres) above the Earth aboard the SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year. Some 120 other tourists who have signed up for the $200,000 two-hour trips into space over the coming years were also present at the Farnborough Airshow south of London.

"Next year, Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space," the thrill-seeker told a packed conference on the third day of the show. "Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing."

Virgin says it has 529 paid up passengers already one more than the total of space travellers since the former Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961.

The future space tourists glimpsed a replica of the SS2 set up outside the auditorium as the actual one undergoes flight testing in California's Mojave Desert. It will take off from a spaceport in New Mexico that was designed by British architect Lord Foster. The craft is designed to seat six people as well as the two pilots.

The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

"I wanted to be the first Irishman in space and I'm really looking forward to it," said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who said he was the first to sign up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

Branson also said a new launch vehicle LauncherOne would take small satellites into space at much lower cost than is now possible The Virgin Galactic team said a number of companies were hoping to use LauncherOne, which is expected to begin operations in 2016 and can carry up to 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of weight.

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Virgin boss Branson gets kids on board for first space flight of his Galactic venture

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Branson to take kids on space flight

The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer says he will be joined by his adult children.

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Richard Branson gets kids on board for first space flight

FARNBOROUGH, England The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer says he will be joined by his adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism revealed that the three will make a 60-mile (100-kilometer) journey on the SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year -- along with 120 other tourists who have signed on to take the $200,000 two-hour trip where only a select few have gone before.

"Next year Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space," the thrill-seeker told a packed conference Wednesday on the third day of the Farnborough Airshow south of London. "Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing."

Virgin says 529 have paid for the right to go to space -- one more than the total number of space travelers since Russia's Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961.

- Sir Richard Branson

The future space tourists got their first glimpse of the SS2, with a replica set up outside the auditorium as the real one gets fixed up in the Mojave Desert, New Mexico, along with a spaceport designed by British architect Lord Foster. The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

"I wanted to be the first Irishman in space and I'm really looking forward to it," said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who was the first to sign up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

Branson also said a new launch vehicle -- LauncherOne -- would take small satellites into space at much lower cost than is now possible The Virgin Galactic team said a number of companies were hoping to use LauncherOne, which is expected to begin operations in 2016 and can carry up to 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of weight.

"It will be a critical new tool for the global research community, enabling us all to learn about our home planet more quickly and affordably," he said.

Continued here:

Sir Richard Branson's kids to join him on first space flight

FARNBOROUGH, England (AP) - The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer says he will be joined by his adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism revealed that the three will make a 60-mile (100-kilometer) journey on the SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year.

Some 120 other tourists who have signed up for the $200,000 two-hour trips into space over the coming years were also present at the Farnborough Airshow south of London.

"Next year, Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space," the thrill-seeker told a packed conference Wednesday on the third day of the show. "Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing."

Virgin says it has 529 paid up passengers already - one more than the total of space travelers since the former Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961.

The future space tourists got their first glimpse of the SS2, with a replica set up outside the auditorium as the real one gets fixed up in the Mojave Desert. It will take off from a spaceport in New Mexico that was designed by British architect Lord Foster.

The craft is designed to seat six people as well as the two pilots.

The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

"I wanted to be the first Irishman in space and I'm really looking forward to it," said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who was the first to sign up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

Originally posted here:

First Galactic flight to lift Bransons

The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer confirmed Wednesday he will be joined by his two adult children.

Original post:

Branson to take his children on first space flight

FARNBOROUGH, England (AP) -- The first space flight of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture will be a family affair: The billionaire adventurer confirmed Wednesday he will be joined by his two adult children.

The British tycoon behind the Virgin business empire that spans cable television, airlines and space tourism revealed that the three will make the journey 62-miles (100 kilometers) above the Earth aboard the SpaceshipTwo (SS2) next year. Some 120 other tourists who have signed up for the $200,000 two-hour trips into space over the coming years were also present at the Farnborough Airshow south of London.

"Next year, Holly and Sam will be joining me for a first voyage into space," the thrill-seeker told a packed conference on the third day of the show. "Going into space is a hard business. It keeps my mind buzzing."

Virgin says it has 529 paid up passengers already one more than the total of space travelers since the former Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961.

The future space tourists glimpsed a replica of the SS2 set up outside the auditorium as the actual one undergoes flight testing in California's Mojave Desert. It will take off from a spaceport in New Mexico that was designed by British architect Lord Foster. The craft is designed to seat six people as well as the two pilots.

The tourists will have to undergo a week of training at the spaceport before taking their flight.

"I wanted to be the first Irishman in space and I'm really looking forward to it," said 70-year-old businessman and author Bill Cullen, who said he was the first to sign up for the ride in 2004.

Grant Roberts, 36, said his dream of space flight came from his grandfather, who was a pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force and flew on missions over Germany in World War II.

Branson also said a new launch vehicle LauncherOne would take small satellites into space at much lower cost than is now possible The Virgin Galactic team said a number of companies were hoping to use LauncherOne, which is expected to begin operations in 2016 and can carry up to 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of weight.

"It will be a critical new tool for the global research community, enabling us all to learn about our home planet more quickly and affordably," he said.

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Branson gets kids on board for first space flight

GREENBELT, Md., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Director Chris Scolese today announced he has named Dr. Colleen Hartman to the position of deputy director for science, operations and program performance at Goddard in Greenbelt, Md.

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Dr. Colleen Hartman Appointed Deputy Director For Science, Operations and Program Performance at Goddard

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -

Arthur E. "Gene" Goldman, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, is retiring from the agency.

He is retiring to accept amanagement position at Aerojet in Huntsville, effective August 3rd.

His departure ends a 22-year career with NASA that began in 1990 as a project engineer in the Marshall space shuttle project integration office.

Goldman has been the acting center director at Marshall since March 5th when Robert Lightfoot began his assignment as NASA acting associate administrator at NASA Headquarters. Previously, beginning March 2010, Goldman served as the center's deputy director.

Robin Henderson, Marshall's associate director, will serve as acting center director following his departure.

Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.

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Marshall Space Flight Center director to retire

Posted on: 10:46 am, July 9, 2012, by Ty Watwood, updated on: 11:36am, July 9, 2012

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center director, Arthur E. Gene Goldman, is retiring. His departure makes the top spot at Marshall open for the second time since March.

Goldman, a 22 year NASA veteran, took over at MSFC when Robert Lightfoot was promoted to acting associate administrator at NASA headquarters.

Gene Goldman, Marshall Space Flight Center Director, is retiring effective August 3. (Photo Courtesy NASA)

Genes technical expertise and management skills will be missed, not only at Marshall, but across the entire agency, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a news release. We are grateful for his service to NASA and wish him the best in his next endeavor.

Goldman has accepted a management position at Aerojet in Huntsville. Robin Henderson, Marshalls associate director, will serve as acting center director effective August 3.

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Marshall Space Flight Center Director Retiring

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) Officials say Arthur E. "Gene" Goldman, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, is retiring from the agency.

The center said in a statement that Goldman will accept a management position at Aerojet in Huntsville, effective Aug. 3.

Robin Henderson, Marshall's associate director, will serve as acting center director following Goldman's departure.

Goldman has had a 22-year career with NASA that began in 1990 as a project engineer in the Marshall space shuttle project integration office. He has been the acting center director at Marshall since March 5 when Robert Lightfoot began his assignment as NASA acting associate administrator at NASA Headquarters. Previously, beginning March 2010, Goldman served as the center's deputy director.

2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Marshall Space Flight Center director leaving NASA

NASA unveiled its first Orion crew model today, designed to take astronauts into space and the eventual goal to take them to Mars as well. Arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Friday, the passenger module is still set to undergo quite a bit of development before an initial flight scheduled for 2014.

Although being able to carry four crew members into space, the first two flights by Orion will be unmanned. Once development has been completed, it will be the most advanced piece of spacecraft weve ever seen. The first flight scheduled for spring 2014 will be a test for the modules heat shield, parachutes and other components.

During the unmanned test flight, Orion will reach orbit at a height of over 3,600 miles and circle the Earth twice. To put that into perspective, thats more than 15 times higher than the International Space Station. Once completed, the Orion will return back to Earth traveling at over 20,000 mph before eventually dropping into the Pacific ocean off the U.S. coast.

NASA has set a target for a manned Orion mission in 2021.

[via Verge]

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NASA reveals Orion space capsule with first flight set for 2014

NASA's first Orion vehicle settles in at the Kennedy Space Center to get outfitted for an unmanned test flight in 2014. The first manned flight is expected around 2021.

The Orion spacecraft on display in the Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The first space-bound Orion capsule, the centerpiece of NASA's post-shuttle push to break out of low Earth orbit for eventual manned flights to a variety of deep space targets, was officially unveiled at NASA's Florida spaceport today. The spacecraft will be outfitted for an unmanned test flight in 2014.

"As KSC celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, I can't think of a more appropriate way to celebrate than by having the very first Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle here at KSC," Robert Cabana, the center's director and a former shuttle commander, told more than 400 managers, engineers and technicians gathered at Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building.

"Orion is ushering in a new era of space exploration beyond our home planet, enabling us to go farther than we've ever gone before. The future is here, now, and the vehicle we see here today is not a Powerpoint chart. It's a real spacecraft, moving toward a test flight in 2014."

Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, talks with reporters about the Orion crew capsule that NASA hopes to launch on a test flight in 2014.

Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who has led the congressional effort to build a new heavy lift rocket that will boost Orion into deep space, said the arrival of the first capsule is a symbol of things to come.

"Isn't this beautiful?" he said, standing before the empty pressure shell of the first test capsule. "I know there are a lot of people here who can't wait to get their hands and their fingers on this hardware. And ladies and gentlemen, we're going to Mars. Without question, the long-term goal of our space program, human space program right now is the goal of going to Mars in the decade of the 2030s.

"We still need to refine how we're going to go there, we've got to develop a lot of technologies, we've got to figure out how and where we're going to stop along the way. The president's goal is an asteroid in 2025. But we know the Orion capsule is a critical part of the system that is going to take us there."

Built by Lockheed Martin, the green interior pressure vessel that will make up the core of the first Orion capsule was delivered to Kennedy last week. Over the next year or so, engineers will attach a heat shield, install avionics systems and flight computers, and add in other critical components. If all goes well, the capsule will be launched on an unmanned test flight -- Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1 -- in 2014.

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Orion capsule, built for deep space, gets to Florida

One small step for NASA's next human space exploration program -- the arrival of a test capsule for launch in 2014 -- lured a cadre of politicians, community leaders, NASA managers and even the brigadier general who runs the nearby Air Force base to the Kennedy Space Center for a welcoming ceremony Monday.

The star of the show was a stripped-down spacecraft called Orion, which is being designed to fly up to four astronauts to near-Earth asteroids, the moon, Mars and other destinations beyond the space station's orbit.

BIG PIC: NASA's New Spaceship Arrives for Tests

NASA -- or anyone else, for that matter -- hasn't flown people beyond a few hundred miles above Earth since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. The United States plans to change that in 2021 with a test run around the moon.

At least two other test flights are planned before NASA will put astronauts aboard an Orion capsule. And it was the arrival of the first flight hardware that drew the space glitterati to KSC's Operations and Checkout Building Monday morning.

The aluminum alloy hull is just the beginning of what eventually will be put on top of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket and shot some 3,450 miles into space. The point of the flight is to test the capsule's still-to-be-installed heat shield, parachutes and other systems.

NEWS: Monster Rocket To Travel to Mars

If the test goes as as planned, Orion will slam back into the atmosphere with roughly 84 percent of the forces a spaceship returning from a lunar orbit would have.

"It's really going to stress the heat shield, which is exactly what we're trying to do," said NASA program manager Mark Geyer.

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Deep-Space Orion Capsule Arrives for Test Flight

(SPACE.com) Seattle's The Museum of Flight moved a nose closer to exhibiting a full-size mockup of the space shuttle on Saturday (June 30) with the delivery of the front section of a retired astronaut trainer by a large NASA cargo plane.

Thousands of spectators gathered for a "Shuttlefest" in the museum's parking lot to see the Super Guppy aircraft deliver NASA's Full Fuselage Trainer's (FFT) crew compartment from Johnson Space Center in Houston. Before landing at Boeing Field, the bulbous cargo plane circled the Seattle area -- including flying by the city's landmark Space Needle -- then made a low pass over The Museum of Flight to the delight of the waiting crowd.

Once the aircraft was on the ground and towed into place, the Guppy's flight crew began the process of swinging open the plane's unique hinged nose to reveal and offload the nose of the mockup shuttle.

"I think I can speak for all Washingtonians, when I say I am honored that such a critical part of our nation's history will be right here in Washington state at The Museum of Flight," Governor Christine Gregoire said during an arrival ceremony staged in front of the Super Guppy. [Gallery: Shuttle Trainer Lands in Seattle]

Staged for flight

The Full Fuselage Trainer was used for more than 30 years to train every person who flew on the space shuttle. Astronauts used the mockup to learn how to exit the vehicle after emergency landings and to gain familiarity with the lighting inside the orbiter's payload bay.

The crew compartment, which is approximately the same size as the observation deck of the Space Needle, is a mostly wooden but detailed replica of the shuttle's iconic black and white nose section with its interior, dual level cockpit and living area. It was the first and most recognizable of the mockup's three large segments to arrive at the museum.

Smaller parts, at least in relation to the crew cabin, were shipped to the museum earlier, including the FFT's three mock main engines. Still to be delivered by the Super Guppy are the trainer's 60 foot (18 meter) payload bay and the shuttle's aft section that supports the vertical stabilizer, or tail, and twin maneuvering engine pods.

Once all the parts have arrived in Seattle later this summer, the museum plans to reassemble the wingless FFT in its Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, a 15,500 sq. foot exhibition hall that was originally built to display a space-flown shuttle. Unlike the real orbiters' displays however, visitors to The Museum of Flight will be able to go inside and tour the trainer.

No better space on Earth

Continued here:

NASA Space shuttle trainer lands in Seattle

SEATTLE Seattle's The Museum of Flight moved a nose closer to exhibiting a full-size mockup of the space shuttle on Saturday (June 30) with the delivery of the front section of a retired astronaut trainer by a large NASA cargo plane.

Thousands of spectators gathered for a "Shuttlefest" in the museum's parking lot to see the Super Guppy aircraft deliver NASA's Full Fuselage Trainer's (FFT) crew compartment from Johnson Space Center in Houston. Before landing at Boeing Field, the bulbous cargo plane circled the Seattle area including flying by the city's landmark Space Needle then made a low pass over The Museum of Flight to the delight of the waiting crowd.

Once the aircraft was on the ground and towed into place, the Guppy's flight crew began the process of swinging open the plane's unique hinged nose to reveal and offload the nose of the mockup shuttle.

"I think I can speak for all Washingtonians, when I say I am honored that such a critical part of our nation's history will be right here in Washington state at The Museum of Flight," Governor Christine Gregoire said during an arrival ceremony staged in front of the Super Guppy. [Gallery: Shuttle Trainer Lands in Seattle]

Staged for flight

The Full Fuselage Trainer was used for more than 30 years to train every person who flew on the space shuttle. Astronauts used the mockup to learn how to exit the vehicle after emergency landings and to gain familiarity with the lighting inside the orbiter's payload bay.

The crew compartment, which is approximately the same size as the observation deck of the Space Needle, is a mostly wooden but detailed replica of the shuttle's iconic black and white nose section with its interior, dual level cockpit and living area. It was the first and most recognizable of the mockup's three large segments to arrive at the museum.

Smaller parts, at least in relation to the crew cabin, were shipped to the museum earlier, including the FFT's three mock main engines. Still to be delivered by the Super Guppy are the trainer's 60 foot (18 meter) payload bay and the shuttle's aft section that supports the vertical stabilizer, or tail, and twin maneuvering engine pods.

Once all the parts have arrived in Seattle later this summer, the museum plans to reassemble the wingless FFT in its Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, a 15,500 sq. foot exhibition hall that was originally built to display a space-flown shuttle. Unlike the real orbiters' displays however, visitors to The Museum of Flight will be able to go inside and tour the trainer.

The Space Shuttle may be the most complicated machine ever built. The first spacecraft to be reusable, it launches as a rocket, can serve as an orbiting platform and lands like a plane. Test your knowledge of the shuttle and its history with this quiz.

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NASA Space Shuttle Trainer Lands at Seattle's Museum of Flight