“As a former Navy pilot who flew air missions off the deck of the

Intrepid in the 1960s, I can think of few better locations for a retired NASA

space shuttle than the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum . . .

“Tens of millions of people from all over the world visit New York every

year and would be able to see this shuttle.

“Further, Intrepid’s role as the primary recovery vessel for NASA during

the Mercury and Gemini space programs makes her an ideal location for

displaying the shuttle and sharing with the world one of our nation’s great

symbols of space exploration.” — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voicing his support yesterday for awarding one of NASA’s decommissioned space shuttles to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum