NASA Ames’s landmark Hangar One may be getting a new skin after all. The U.S. Navy has been planning to remove the structure’s toxic laminate siding, but this would leave just a skeleton on the site of the iconic building. NASA now says that it is willing chip in $20 million to reskin the structure, provided that Congresswoman Anna Eshoo comes up with another $10 million from Congress during next week’s lame duck session.
That may not be as easy as it sounds. Earmark spending is coming under increasing fire, and NASA itself could face deep funding cuts in the next Congress. For it to become tenable, the site would have to be used as it was originally intended—as a hangar for airships—though airships are not as common these days as they once were.
Nevertheless, Ames Deputy Director Deb Feng says that three private and government airship companies have expressed interest in parking their blimps in Hangar One. She adds that the hangar is big enough to house more than one company. If that goes through and Feng manages to secure the funding, Hangar One could come back to life again.
Read More at the Mountain View Voice.
