Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- NASA announced Tuesday the new retirement homes for the four remaining space shuttles -- three historic orbiters and the program 's test vehicle . The space shuttle Atlantis will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida ; the Endeavour , at the California Science Center in Los Angeles ; the Discovery , at the Smithsonian 's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia ; and the test shuttle , Enterprise , at the Intrepid Sea , Air & Space Museum in New York , NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. said during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center . The announcement was made on the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle program 's first flight , made by the subsequently ill-fated Columbia orbiter , and the 50th anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space . More than 20 locations around the country sought one of the orbiters because of the potential tourist draw . The drama mirrored the bidding to host an Olympic games . Supporters of sites that were rejected expressed disappointment . U.S. Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas , said the Johnson Space Center in Houston should have been one of the retirement homes for an orbiter , `` but it is clear political favors trumped common sense and fairness in the selection of the final locations for the orbiter fleet , '' he said in a statement . He noted that Houston `` played a critical role throughout the life of the space shuttle . '' `` Like many Texans , I am disappointed with NASA 's decision to slight the Johnson Space Center as a permanent home for one of the space shuttle orbiters , '' Cornyn said . `` There is no question Houston should have been selected as a final home for one of the orbiters -- even Administrator Bolden stated as much . Today 's announcement is an affront to the thousands of dedicated men and women at Johnson Space Center , the greater Houston community and the state of Texas , and I 'm deeply disappointed with the administration 's misguided decision , '' Cornyn said . In Los Angeles , shortly after NASA 's announcement , California Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph told reporters that the Endeavour would boost the center 's annual 1.4 million visitors to about 2 million people a year . The center plans to use the orbiter as the centerpiece to a new air and space gallery , which would cost $ 200 million and is part of the center 's 25-year master plan , Rudolph said . That price tag includes the $ 28.8 million that the center must pay NASA to prepare and relocate the orbiter to Los Angeles , he said . The center has n't hired an architect yet to design the new facility and is now planning a fundraiser , he said . `` Obviously , we were thrilled . We got the word this morning , shortly before the announcement , '' Rudolph said of his reaction to winning one of the shuttles . `` The fact that the shuttle was created here in California had a lot to do with giving us a leg up '' over the competition , Rudolph said . `` It 's a fitting place for this national treasure . '' The center , which also features a Los Angeles charter school , is the most attended museum in southern California and one of the most attended in the country , Rudolph said . The Los Angeles center 's existing air and space gallery is now home to the Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule that carried Ham , a chimpanzee , on a suborbital flight , and the Gemini 11 capsule flown by astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon on an orbital flight . U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer said she and Sen. Dianne Feinstein -- both California Democrats -- wrote to NASA 's Bolden last year asking that California become home to one of the shuttles because the state has a long history with the shuttle program . Beginning in 1972 , all five space shuttle orbiters were fabricated in Downey , California , and assembled in Palmdale , California , Boxer said in a statement . All of the space shuttles were tested at Edwards Air Force Base just outside of Palmdale , where 53 of NASA 's 133 shuttle missions landed , she said . The Endeavour will take its final flight on April 29 , and prior to this launch , it will have been used on 24 missions , orbited the earth 4,429 times and traveled 103,149,636 miles , Boxer said . `` California has a long history of supporting the shuttle program and we are proud to welcome this inspiring symbol of American scientific achievement and ingenuity to the Golden State , '' Boxer said in a statement . Audience members at the Kennedy Space Center cheered when Bolden announced the Atlantis would be assigned to that launch facility . Many people in the gallery were center workers , some of whom are likely to lose their jobs when the shuttle program ends . Because the announcement was being made at Kennedy , expectations were high that the visitor center would be awarded one of the shuttles . The Atlantis will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June , NASA said . The Museum of Flight in Seattle also wanted one . In fact , one wall of a new space gallery where a shuttle would be housed was already erected in anticipation . Prior to Tuesday 's announcement , the museum 's president , Doug King , said museum officials did n't have any inside information . `` I think that confident may be too strong a word . I think that hopeful is probably a better one , '' he said . But on Tuesday , Washington state Gov . Chris Gregoire also said she was disappointed that the NASA did n't select the Seattle museum for one of the retired shuttles . `` The Museum of Flight put a tremendous amount of effort into landing a retired shuttle in the Pacific Northwest . As the home of modern day air travel and the 747 , which has gracefully transported shuttles for the last 30 years , Seattle would have been a perfect fit , '' Gregoire said in a statement . `` However , the full fuselage trainer , that every astronaut including Bonnie Dunbar has been trained on , will soon call the Museum of Flight home , '' the governor said . `` The largest of the trainers , this addition will allow visitors to actually climb aboard the trainer and experience the hands-on training that astronauts get . Visitors will not be allowed in the other shuttles and this trainer is a true win for our dynamic museum . '' Facilities in Chicago , New York , Dayton , Ohio , and Tulsa , Oklahoma , also put in requests for an orbiter , with hopes that such a historic artifact would inspire countless children in those areas to explore careers in science and engineering . Becoming home to an orbiter promises to be a boon for a community . The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex estimates a shuttle will bring in 200,000 more guests every year . The economic impact to the area is estimated at about $ 15 million . At New York 's Intrepid Museum , Executive Director Susan Marenoff told CNN , `` Figure over 300,000 people additional ( due ) to the Intrepid , to New York City . Couple that with $ 106 million in economic benefit . We think that 's a pretty good deal . '' Each winning location has to fork over $ 28.8 million to NASA for delivery of the vehicles . They also must guarantee a climate-controlled building will be constructed to house their shuttle . That 's still a bargain , officials at the bidding locations said , because of the return on investment they expect . One of the orbiters -- Discovery , the oldest -- was largely regarded as being Smithsonian-bound . That was confirmed by Tuesday 's announcement . The Enterprise , a test shuttle that never flew in space , is there now . It was be reassigned , at a discounted price , to one of the locations that did n't get either Endeavour or Atlantis . That location turned out to be the Intrepid Sea , Air & Space Museum in New York . Only two more shuttle flights are scheduled : Endeavour on April 29 and Atlantis on June 28 , wrapping up a program in which the vehicles launched satellites , built a space station , and launched and repaired an orbiting telescope . After that , they become museum pieces . Two other shuttles were destroyed in flight accidents . The Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28 , 1986 , and the Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1 , 2003 . CNN 's Stan Wilson , Ed Lavandera and Irving Last contributed to this report .
The shuttles Discovery , Endeavour and Atlantis carry historic and economic value . The fourth , the Enterprise , was a test shuttle that never flew into space . Communities housing the shuttles are expected to enjoy a tourist boom . Comment: