This scale model (1:40) of the proposed Large Space Telescope was used in development work on the payload bay of an early version of the Space Shuttle. The original proposal for an orbiting observatory involved a telescope equipped with a 100-inch or larger mirror to be placed in orbit by a re-usable space vehicle. This model was among several in the collection built for concept work for such a vehicle. Budgetary considerations and feasibility issues relating to available technologies led to a scaling down of the observatory to the 94-inch Hubble Space Telescope.
Transferred from the NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center to the Museum in 1975.
Transfer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration