Full-size mock space shuttle makes first move towards Downey display

The parts for a full-size space shuttle mockup are now about a city block closer to being reassembled and restored for public display.

The City of Downey in California began relocating the winged orbiter "Inspiration" from a maintenance yard — where it has sat in pieces for more than a decade — to a nearby facility on Thursday (Oct. 17). The move, which attracted a crowd of spectators, is the first step toward exhibiting the model at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in the years to come.

"I had a dream that I would pull a space shuttle with a golf cart down the street... and [now it has] happened," said Ben Dickow, president and executive director of the Columbia Memorial Space Center. "There are going to be some kids who walk through this thing when it's out on display ... and a spark is going to go off and they're going to become an engineer or a scientist or a lawyer or a poet. These kind of objects tied to where they are brings out the best in people, and that's what we're trying to do here."

Related: NASA's space shuttles: Where are they now?

"This is a legacy," said Mario Trujillo, the mayor of Downey. "What a magical, historical day. I'm going to remember this. This is one of those deep memories that you're going to have, when we moved this beautiful, beautiful piece of aerospace history. And I just couldn't be more proud to be your mayor."

"I want every kid in Downey, California to know about our legacy. That's why your council is investing the necessary dollars to continue to be the jewel in Southern California," said Trujillo.

To ease the move, the road was closed to traffic throughout much of the day.

Once all the parts are relocated on Friday (Oct. 18), work will begin to assess the condition of the plywood and plastic model. The facsimile shuttle was built in 1972, two years before NASA finalized the design of the winged spacecraft and selected the mockup's maker, North American Rockwell (today Boeing), to build the orbiters that would fly 135 missions over a 30-year span.

Initially used to sell NASA on its concept, Rockwell continued to update the unnamed orbiter mockup as a fit check tool for instruments and payloads being built for the space-worthy vehicles. At some point losing one of its wings and part of its vertical stabilizer (tail), the mock shuttle continued to serve as a showcase piece for visiting politicians and other guests, until the Downey plant closed.

It was then that it became city property and put into storage. Rediscovered in 2012, when it gained its name "Inspiration" through a public contest and was briefly exhibited under a tent at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, it was then moved to the maintenance yard for storage while funding was secured for its restoration and a plan could be put together for its display.

"The City of Downey is proud of its rich legacy in American aviation and space history. The history of the NASA Downey site, where the space center is located, is intertwined with the identity of the city." read the 2023 project proposal that led to Thursday's move. "The Downey site was the home of research, development and engineering of such crucial programs as the Navajo missile, Little Joe Rocket, Apollo capsules and space shuttle orbiters."

"In celebration of this aerospace history, the city's goals include the preservation and showcasing of its aerospace heritage and the creation of learning opportunities for future generations," the report read.

As the state-funded $800,000 restoration gets underway, so will construction of Inspiration's new home, a 29,000-square-foot (2,700 square meters) two-story building at the Columbia Memorial Space Center that will include a dedicated space to exhibit the 122-foot-long by 35-foot-tall (37 by 11 m) orbiter mockup, as well as an event space for up to 300 attendees, offices and classrooms.

In addition to "Inspiration," the plan is for the building to also house other exhibits and space artifacts.

Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018. He previously developed online content for the National Space Society and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, helped establish the space tourism company Space Adventures and currently serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society, the advisory committee for The Mars Generation and leadership board of For All Moonkind. In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.