Ronald L. Limes The Museum Of Flight Chair | The Museum Of Flight Chair
Ronald L. Limes The Museum Of Flight Chair | The Museum Of Flight Chair
Tours of the Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartments are set to commence on February 15, offering participants a chance to delve into the history and operation of space shuttle orbiters. This experience aims to provide an understanding of what it was like to be a shuttle astronaut by allowing individuals to immerse themselves in their environment.
The Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Experience will be available four times daily every third weekend of the month. Each session is limited to six people aged 12 and up, with those under 15 requiring adult supervision. Regular museum admission is necessary, and reservations or advanced purchases are recommended.
Tickets for this unique experience are priced at $40 for general admission and $30 for museum members.
The NASA Space Shuttle Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT), which has been exhibited at the Museum since 2013, plays a central role in this experience. The FFT is a full-scale mockup of the space shuttle orbiter, excluding the wings, and was used extensively during NASA's 30-year space shuttle program that concluded in 2011. Built in the 1970s at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), it served various training purposes including emergency egress training and galley operation among others.
The SVMF housed several space shuttle mockups like the FFT inside Building 9 of JSC in Houston, Texas. While these mockups were flight-like, they did not include simulators typically used for pilot training. Instead, they were utilized for astronaut training in areas such as housekeeping and stowage familiarity.
Astronauts typically spent over a year preparing for missions, dedicating up to 100 hours across more than 20 classes within the SVMF. A diverse team consisting of designers, engineers, project managers, electronic technicians, and shop technicians collaborated to develop these accurate mockups essential for astronaut training.
Images provided by Ted Huetter from The Museum of Flight showcase various views from within the FFT cockpit as well as its exterior features such as the crew hatch that tour participants will use during their visit.
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