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NASA
A technician installs a heat shield tile on a space shuttle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Such tiles are now being made available to schools and universities for a shipping and handling fee.
NASA is offering 7,000 space shuttle tiles for the sweet price of $23.40. There are a couple of catches, though: You have to be a school or a university to buy one. Also, it's first come, first served, starting today -- so this deal may not last long.
Here's the news release from NASA:
"WASHINGTON -- As the Space Shuttle Program nears retirement, NASA is looking for ways to preserve the program's history and inspire the next generation of space explorers, scientists and engineers. Beginning Wednesday, NASA is offering 7,000 shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and universities that want to share technology and a piece of space history with their students.
"The lightweight tiles protect the shuttles from extreme temperatures when the orbiters re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Schools can request a tile at: http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm
"Click on the tile icon to log on to the request page. A login ID and password may be obtained by registering on the link provided. A Department of Education statistics tracking number (NCES for schools or IPEDS for universities) is needed to register. Hyperlinks are available to these sites to find a specific institution's tracking number. The requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one tile will be given per institution.
"Because the tiles are government property, a transfer protocol is observed. Recipients will be responsible for a shipping and handling fee of $23.40, which is payable to the shipping company through a secure website. For more information about artifacts also available to museums and libraries, visit: http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/NASA_SSPA_Pamphlet.pdf
"For information about the space shuttle, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle"
Sounds like the perfect holiday gift for your school's classroom...
Update for 8:50 p.m. ET: NASA spokeswoman Ann Marie Trotta told me that there should be plenty of tiles to go around. About 100 tiles were snapped up on the first day of availability, she said. "Seven thousand is going to take a while," she said. But she does expect that all the tiles will be given away eventually.
During our chat, it came out that these tiles have been stockpiled as replacements -- but have gone unused. With the retirement of the shuttle fleet, NASA judged that its tile stockpile is larger than necessary, and that it could afford to part with these 7,000 ceramic-fiber tiles. If Trotta can dig up any more details, I'll pass them along.
The shuttles themselves will be given away as well, but the shipping and handling charge is a bit higher: $28.8 million. Several museums have put in their bids for a used shuttle. However, at last report, even the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is having a hard time coming up with the money.
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Leave a Comment:
So not fair! I'd love to get a tile in my Christmas stocking! I've always said that NASA could double their budget if they sold lottery tickets for a chance to ride in a space shuttle (winner subject to medical review of course).
I sure hope our local Brevard Community College is signing up for one. They might already have one or two, since they have trained at least half the technicians working out at the Cape.
I agree with kenaiqueen, I'd pay waaayyy more to get my hands on one.
It makes total sense to sell these items to schools and universities, just like the moon rocks we gave to various governments, they'll lose them within five years or less. If these are brand new tiles I really wonder about the logic in selling them as teaching kids about space travel. It would be like I got a brick from a bundle of a finished historic building. Hey kids look at this brick, no it didn't get used for anything just an extra one. Yeah, that'll make them want to go out and get a degree to be used in the space industry so they can be an extra out of work brick.
Sell them to individuals who will place them in cases to be viewed. Some will end up on ebay, but so what. At least someone will keep them in pristine condition and not lost in a janitors closet.
Even bigger bargain - send your name to Mars for free : http://marsparticipate.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/sendyourname/
As a honest taxpayer I wonder how much money I have paid for those tiles.
I was kind of hoping that I would be able to buy a few of them back.
I was planning to re-do my wall above the kitchen stove top.
Because when I retire I 'm planning to do a lot of very hot cooking. Awell.
LOL
While I think is great for the schools and universities, I wish they would made made it so anyone could have purchased it. I know I would have bought a couple and given them as gifts to friends. I would have even bought one to donate it to my old high school to help encourage the science department there so they could use it to educate kids at school.
That's history right there.
not fair!!!!!!! i'm 59 years old, got straight a's in primary and high school largely because i wanted to an astronaut!!!!!!!
and now i can't even buy a shuttle tile of my very own?????
life sucks and then you reduce your social security check!!!!!
I paid for an envelope cancelled on Challenger. I'd be willing to pay more for a shuttle tile. I can understand their plan. I only wish they'd open it to public first-come first-serve.