Massive shuttle prototype rolls through Downey
Excerpt: Hearkening back to the golden days of Downey’s role in the NASA space program and aerospace history, the community showed up early as crews started moving a full-size original space shuttle design prototype across town — readying it for public display in the years to come.
Downey community members and people from surrounding cities lined up along Bellflower Boulevard on Thursday morning, Oct. 17, to witness the historic move of the space shuttle mock-up that inspired the nation’s mission to soar to space and return home again. Many attendees donned NASA gear and even some Rockwell International garb could be seen.
“This shuttle has been here as a part of Downey’s legacy and history for 52 years, ever since it was built, and it’s an honor to be able to bring it out again on public view and to be able to restore it and have a permanent home for it still in its hometown,” said Benjamin Dickow, president and executive director of the Columbia Memorial Space Center.