Pieces Being Transported Separately, Will Be Reassembled

The wood-and-plastic space shuttle model, which was used by Rockwell to sell NASA on the concept and which has been gathering dust in a warehouse in California for 40 or so years, is being moved piece-by-piece to its temporary home under a tent in a parking lot near the building in Downey, CA.

The city had hoped to move the entire mock-up spacecraft at one time, but there were some problems discovered with the "route of flight," so the nose of the model was transported Thursday, with most of the rest of the sections being moved Friday. Mayor Roger Borssmer said there was a "dip" in the elevation at the exit from the warehouse, and so they were moving extra carefully to avoid damaging the relic, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The warehouse where the shuttle mock-up has been mouldering had been part of Rockwell's aerospace complex in Downey back in the day, but it was closed in 1999, and has since been sold to a developer who wants to put a shopping center in its place.

The city plans to raise over $2 million to build a permanent display home for the model, which it says is a reminder of the city's role in America's aerospace and shuttle programs.

(File photo provided by NASA)

FMI: www.downeyca.org