Adam Schneider paid $61,000 for the a battered old prop from the immensely popular cult science fiction sensation "Star Trek." The prop was a shuttlecraft that crash-landed on a hostile alien planet in the 1967 episode of the original series titled "The Galileo Seven." Schneider fixed it up and proudly unveiled it at the NASA Space Center in Houston, where it will remain on permanent display.
According to a story from the Associated Press, via Yahoo TV, Trekkies of all shapes and sizes came from across the U.S. to witness the big unveiling of the shuttle craft and marvel in this bit of Trek memorabilia. Some wore Scotty's Repair Shop T-shirts, others were in full spandex outfits like the ones the crew wore on the show.
"Star Trek" is responsible for bringing science-fiction to the main stream back in the 1960s. Since that time, the show has spawned four spin-off series and 12 movies. The most noteworthy of which are J.J. Abrams remakes starring a new cast but the same characters. The latest film, which was just released this summer, and earned $225 million in North America and more than $450 million world wide, making it the highest grossing film of the Star Trek franchise.
Schneider has spent the past year restoring the ship's fiberglass exterior and making it look as close to the way it did in the 1967 episode as possible.
"Very proud," he said. "Like sending your kid to college and having them get a job to build a successful life, because this was under our care for a year and we grew very attached."
The addition of Galileo adds to the rich history of space exploration as it pays tribute to the way science fiction ignites our imaginations and has inspired generations of innovators," Richard Allen, president and CEO of Space Center Houston, told Space.com. "Galileo will join the ranks of many other inspiring exhibits at Space Center Houston, including the recent space shuttle mockup addition and the biggest expansion in our history, the 747 Shuttle Carrier Project."
