Posted on behalf of Ashley Yeager

Got an extra $42 million, why not buy an authentic NASA space shuttle? The US space agency has put out feelers to museums, educational institutions and other “appropriate” organizations to see if they are interested in purchasing the soon-to-be retired Atlantis, Discovery or Endeavour spaceships.

NASA anticipates that to clean toxic, volatile chemicals from each craft will cost $28.2 million. Another $8 million is needed to prepare each shuttle for display, and shipping and handling from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) adds $5.8 million to the price tag.

The space agency feels that taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill to put the spaceships on public display, NASA spokesman Mike Curie told FloridaToday.com. Bringing in the outside cash would also help fund the NASA’s new manned spaceflight programme — Constellation.

NASA also stated in its ‘Request for Information’ document that only two of the shuttles be sold. The third is expected to remain in government hands, possibly for display in Washington at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Another could stay in Florida if state representatives take the bait of Space Florida, a state agency that promotes aerospace business. Space Florida is currently drafting a resolution requesting that a shuttle be retired at the KSC and plans to rally support from local legislators.

Republican State Senator Thad Altman told FloridaToday.com that the KSC Visitor Complex would be an ideal home for a retired shuttle and would even “save $6 million for shipping”.

Of course, no one will get a shuttle if president-elect Barack Obama chooses to change the scheduled date for last shuttle flight, which is currently slated for 30 September 2010. The incoming president has already appointed a team to see if it is possible to extend shuttle flights in an attempt to close the five-year gap between the retirement of the spaceships and the first planned, manned flight of the new Orion crew capsule and Ares rocket in 2015.

Image top: NASA