[HOUSTON.CULTUREMAP] Now that the space shuttle program has been relegated to history, NASA is holding something of a going-out-of-business sale to distribute its Kennedy Space Center effects -- although even the most avid space enthusiasts may not find these up-for-grabs items appealing.
| NASA says "proposals should be space-related, though the agency will consider alternative uses under certain circumstances." |
As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the list of pieces for use, lease or outright purchase includes a shuttle launch pad, space in the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building or a 15,000-foot landing strip.
NASA needs to transfer these items -- and fast -- before federal maintenance funding runs out at the end of 2013. Officials worry that the facilities and machinery will deteriorate and rust in the Cape Canaveral environment without upkeep.
The space agency has been quietly receiving bids and proposals from commercial space companies and the public-private space agency Space Florida for the items, and Joyce Riquelme, NASA's director of KSC planning and development, expects that the first deals should start coming together within the next six months. |
