Shuttle trainer lands at AF Museum

WPAFB (WDTN) - Update:  The Super Guppy aircraft landed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force shortly after 5:00 pm.  2 NEWS is there live.  Dan Edwards also shows you where shuttle trainer will be housed in the museum.

A one of a kind exhibit is about to be unveiled at the National Museum of the United States Air Force .

After months of preparation, curator Dr. Doug Lantry is ready to unwrap his newest exhibit - NASA's Crew Compartment Trainer .

Unlike space shuttles which are simply static displays, Lantry said visitors will be able to actually get inside the CCT.

"It'll suggest the shape and size of the shuttle and you'll be able to get up inside the payload bay and get a feel for the scale of the vehicle itself," Lantry said.

The 23,000 pound CCT has trained space shuttle astronauts for their missions since 1979, but Lantry said the trainer is not done training.

"We'll also be building a learning node to accompany the exhibit where our museum educators will be able to take classes of children and adults and everybody and do interactive and one-on-one audio, video based teaching about science, technology, engineering and mathematics as it is related to the space program," Lantry explained.

The public will be able to see the CCT beginning Aug. 24. Museum officials hope to build a fourth hangar that will be the permanent home for the CCT, as well as combine the Space Gallery Exhibit and the Presidential Aircraft. Foundation officials estimate the cost of the new hangar at $48 million. To-date they've raised $39.3 million.

For more information, contact the National Museum of the United States Air Force at 937-255-3286.