By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is hoping to draw a large crowd to watch as NASA announces Tuesday where its retired space shuttles will next call home.
The Intrepid Museum is one of about 20 locations nationwide vying to be the home of the three soon-to-be retired space shuttles: Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. The prototype shuttle Enterprise, which was used for testing but never flew in space, is also up for grabs, USATODAY.com reported.
The museum is offering free admission for visitors wearing space-themed clothing and it will simulcast NASA's announcement on its 40-foot video wall.
Museum President Susan Marenoff-Zausner will watch the announcement alongside museum employees, volunteers and former Intrepid Crew Members, according to a statement from the museum.
New York is considered to be one of the five favorites to land one of the shuttles, along with the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., the U.S. Air Force Museum in Ohio, The Museum of Flight in Seattle and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Intrepid has been campaigning aggressively for over a year to land one of the shuttles. More than 152,000 have signed an online petition on Facebook to bring the shuttle to Manhattan's west side.
The winning bidders must pay NASA $29 million to cover preparation and transfer costs for each shuttle.
Discovery, which flew 39 flights over its 27 years of service, made its last flight in March. Endeavour is slated to make its final voyage on April 29, according to NASA's website. Atlantis will make it's final flight on June 28.
The announcement, which falls on the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle flight, is expected to happen between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
