Petition signature #44.
I remember the first time I saw
the Enterprise at the NASM in 1978. It was such a wonderful experience to see her strung in mid-air,
in real life! For me, at that moment I realized how important an inspiration
Star Trek had been to the US space program.
TOS had inspired me to dream about going into space like no other program had before it.
For the above reason, if no other, the
Enterprise should be a part of the NASM, rather than relegated to a pop culture museum. Like it or not,
TOS was, indeed, an inspiration and public relations tool for NASA and the US space program. Whether the old girl should be in the gift shop or placed in a major display is, in my opinion, a judgement call.
I agree with those who state that it should be 'historically accurate' rather than what some may remember or envision... warts and all, as they say. It was a poor decision to replace original labeling with something else. When I saw the
Enterprise at the NASM, I marveled at the level of detail which I could not see on my B&W 13" television. To coin a cliche, "History came alive" that day. This should be the goal of any restoration: historical accuracy.