NASA to turn over keys to Seattle's shuttle trainer Thursday

NASA plans to officially turn over the keys to a full-size Space Shuttle trainer to Seattle's Museum of Flight on Thursday morning.

The ownership transfer ceremony will be held in Houston at the Johnson Space Center.

The trainer was used to get astronauts familiar with shuttle cockpit controls and emergency exit procedures during the Space Shuttle Program.

The museum will be responsible for moving the Full Fuselage Trainer, including a crew cockpit and shuttle cargo bay area, to Seattle.

The Museum of Flight was one of 21 museum and science centers around the country hoping to land one of the retired space shuttles. The trainer is considered a consolation prize by some, but museum officials are glad to have something special for their new space gallery.