Send letters and e-mails to support bringing retired space shuttle to Seattle’s Museum of Flight

Have you ever been a part of something that changed history? The name of NASA’s first space shuttle, Enterprise, was decided by a letter writing campaign. What if a letter you wrote made a similar impact in the history of American spaceflight?

November 17, 2010 6:47 pm

Have you ever been a part of something that changed history? The name of NASA’s first space shuttle, Enterprise, was decided by a letter writing campaign. What if a letter you wrote made a similar impact in the history of American spaceflight?

Seattle’s Museum of Flight hopes to bring one of NASA’s retired space shuttles to Washington state. Having a space shuttle at the Museum of Flight, one that has carried astronauts, scientists and helped us better understand our world and outer space, would inspire kids of all ages and help encourage careers in science and engineering. These space shuttles are an important piece of history; however, the Museum of Flight is one of 21 sites bidding for only three extraordinary shuttles.

How can writing a letter help? One of the selection criteria for where the shuttles will be sent is a show of community support. Writing a letter is a great way to show your support, but anything and everything you do can help! Encourage everyone you know to take part. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Have younger kids draw a picture, or just write a sentence or two. E-mailed letters also work great! My goal is to get 500 letters in 30 days, so try to send in your support by the end of November. And who knows? Your letter or drawing might end up as part of the exhibit for the space shuttle.

• Here are the details for how letters and e-mails should be addressed, more facts about the space shuttles, and a sample of what your letter could look like.

Letters should be addressed to:

NASA, c/o Museum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way S. Seattle, WA 98108

E-mail letters should be sent to mbush@museumofflight.org

Here’s an example of what your letter to NASA might look like:

Dear NASA,

Hello, my name is_____ and I am_____ years old. I live in_____, Washington and I think the space shuttle should be brought to Seattle. I want to help inspire other kids in Washington by having a space shuttle at the Museum of Flight. (You can also include some of the facts below, or think of some reasons of your own.)

Thank you, _______.

Shuttle facts

  • The University of Washington and Boeing helped make parts for the space shuttles.
  • A shuttle would inspire kids to think about careers in science and engineering, and get kids interested in space too.
  • The Museum of Flight plans to build a whole new gallery just for the space shuttle.
  • It would be a major tourist attraction and would encourage people to come to Washington state.
  • The shuttles are a piece of history that helped us better understand our world and our universe.
  • The five space shuttles have flown into space 134 times.
  • These space shuttles are the only “re-usable” spacecraft in the world that were re-launched into space multiple times.
  • They have carried parts for the International Space Station, and helped maintain the Hubble Telescope.
  • Each space shuttle carried up to eight astronauts, more than any other space vehicle in existence.
  • It would be awesome to see such an important piece of spaceflight history, right in Seattle!

Thanks for showing your support for bringing the shuttle to Seattle.

Dana Reid

Sophomore

Tahoma High School