I received an email from the curator at the Smithsonian informing me that the benefactor has backed out of the funding for the medium display case.

I was also advised, that the current figure for the diisplay case has risen from a estimated $25,000 to $50,000.

The display case is described as being 8 feet wide, 7 feet tall and 3 feet deep.

If funding was secured, the case would be placed in the Rocketry section of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar

It's no wonder they backed out seeing that on a whim the cost is doubled. How in the heck could a display case estimate be off by $25,000? Sheesh! It's almost as if they don't wan't to fool with it and are trying to set the bar so high that everybody will give up.

I was advised back in december 2007 that there might be a donor for the mediaum display case, the decision was supposed to be made by the end of January 2007, I inquired, and was told that in a couple of week (Feb) the decision would be made. Low and behold, I inquired once again, and this is what I am told.

Yes, it hard to believe that a "medium" display case would cost so much, I think that the cost is outrageous.

I sent an email back and told the curator that at this price , thsi would be prohibiting the display from going forward.

I wanted to bring this up at the annual meeting at NARAM 50, but, I think I would get laughed off the floor with this suggestion.

I even suggfested if we had a carpenter among us, they could possibly build one, I am waiting for a response back.

I have a feeling the original estimate is much closer to the real cost and they just threw out the doubled figure to run you/us off because they don't want to fool with it. If we suddenly showed up with the money, they would likely take it and use the extra $25K for one of their own pet projects. It's a win-win situation for them and lose-lose for us.

They sent to me three photos of the dispaly cases currently there, they have space helmets in them. Basically, glass and aluminum. I can't see where they could be worth $25,000, let alone $50,000.

Glass and aluminum?

Sounds like they're describing sealed, temperature-controlled cases with inert (non-oxygen) gases flowing around inside.

It also sounds like a snow job, given that the items intended for display are probably NOT being stored now in anything more exotic than a cedar chest, or even a cardboard box with some mothballs inside.

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Or a standard jewelry display case like can be found at the local mall. Except the stainless steel versions are probably more expensive.

I think it might be a vacuum chamber, or, maybe the trailer that the Apollo 11 astronauts were in after their flight?????

Last time I looked, there were no rockets in there.

The Airstream trailer that housed the astronauts currently resides in the Udvar Hazy facility of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, not far from where the very few model rockets currently on display reside.

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I can only report what I have been told. I would thin even $5,000 would be way too much let alone $50,000.

I sent to replys back to the curator, no response. I told him that would be out of the question, that there would be no support for such a project, and, I even suggested if we had a carpenter amongst us, they could build a display case.

They sent me photos of the proposed display case, like I mentioned previoulsy, it's all glass and aluminun. The cases in the photos housed space helmets. So, if you saw the display cases with the helmets, that is what they are talking about.

And, it's a medium display case, can you imagine the pirce tag on the full size one ??

The original quote was $25,000 and it magically doubled in price, that's outrageous.