Downtown St. Cloud could be getting a NASA-built space shuttle model

ST. CLOUD — Downtown St. Cloud could be the home of the Inspiration Mock Orbiter, a NASA-built model of the space shuttle.

Currently owned by local inventor and founder of LVX System, Felicity-John Pederson, the model weighs about 200,000 pounds and is incredibly realistic, according to Pederson.

Pederson said he doesn’t know why it was built but he took ownership of it in 2015 and refurbished it to be used for research and educational purposes.

The model has been housed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida but now NASA is hoping to put that space to use. Pederson has about one week to figure out where it’s going to go and he’s hoping it will have a place in his hometown.

“I think it would be an amazing thing for St. Cloud,” Pederson said. “I am very much into education and seeing, especially kids, have fun learning. I love that. So that would be one of the really cool things and I think this thing has something to offer — from young kids to older people.”

Pederson’s grandson Jack had the opportunity to see the model while visiting Pederson and his wife Irene in Florida.

“He had great fun and wanted to throw every switch and control,” Pederson said in an email. “He's now a 5th grader, loves space exploration, and wants to be an engineer with robotics.”

Pederson said he hopes the model will be open for tours so visitors can see the inside of the shuttle, like Jack did.

If the model is brought to St. Cloud, it would likely go next to the soon-to-be-built children’s museum as an additional downtown attraction. Conversations are ongoing about whether a structure would be built to house the shuttle or if it would remain outdoors as a roadside attraction.

“I think something such as this, especially something so unique and … especially now with what's happening in the private space program, it's very popular and I think even more so, as a destination. I think it'd be pretty strong,” Mayor Dave Kleis said.

In a letter to Pederson, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic and Senator Aric Putnam expressed support for bringing the model to Minnesota.

“We are eager to take part in the creation of a place that showcases the history and scientific contributions of the nation’s storied space shuttle program,” the letter said. “The creation of interactive and immersive experiences, both inside and outside the renovated shuttle, would unleash the curiosities and broaden offerings in the most central part of the state.”

Great River Children's Museum Executive Director Cassie Miles sees the orbiter as an opportunity to create a Midwest attraction with potentially nationwide draw.

While Miles’ effort to bring the shuttle to downtown is independent of her work with the children’s museum, her personal vision is to eventually create a science museum around the orbiter near the site of the children’s museum.

Since this opportunity came up so quickly, there has not been time to study the economic potential of the orbiter, however, similar attractions have drawn “huge volumes of traffic,” according to Miles.

Getting the orbiter to St. Cloud would cost approximately $750,000, Miles said. That funding would not come from the children’s museum but likely from individuals willing to help make this opportunity a reality for the city.

“The closest (shuttle) to us here in St. Cloud, Minnesota, would be at the Smithsonian. So we're talking a Midwest draw of people who can drive and plan trips around stopping here in St. Cloud to visit this orbiter and whatever facilities exist around it,” Miles said. “I happen to believe in an economy that can be built around arts and culture. That's why I believe so firmly in downtown and I'm really happy to be building the children's museum there.”

Miles said the tentative start date for construction on the children’s museum is April 1, with a goal of finishing by the end of the year and opening the museum to visitors in 2025.

— Tess Ware is the local editor of The St. Cloud Times. Contact her at tware@stcloudtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud could be the new home of a NASA-built space shuttle model