‘One look is enough’: Inspiration replica spacecraft prepares for landing in St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Mars isn’t the place to raise your kids… but St. Louis. Cloud is, according to a scientist who grew up there.

Dr. Felicity-John Pederson, founder of LVX System, inventor and recent co-purchaser of the Inspiration replica spacecraft, told KARE 11 that the wait for the imminent and highly anticipated arrival of Inspiration is almost over.

“It’s on the Wisconsin border right now, and it’s the fuselage; most all the other parts are here,” Pederson said Wednesday.

You might even see “it” — the 25-ton hull, or main hull — make its way across the border into Minnesota sometime after midnight Saturday, bypassing the Twin Cities and making its way to its new home in Central Minnesota.

The event, Pederson said, “should be quite the sight.”

The decades-old Inspiration replica orbiter, which lived at Florida’s John F. Kennedy Space Center for more than half a century, is taking a trip north before taking willing participants on a virtually simulated journey through various destinations in space.

“That saying, ‘travel,’ would be something you could go into low earth orbit, whatever,” Pederson said. “This thing will react to the simulations, the dome and everything – just like the big cinemas that are in these domes – it gives that very realistic thing going on.

“There will also be places to observe the ship in the ‘bleach,’ if you will, to see this thing because it will look like the ship is flying through space and landing.”

But there is still some work to be done before the ship can begin its first flight simulation, including completely rebuilding the ship and developing new “domes” to house it. The infrastructure, a conglomerate of up to five domes, will each feature its own attraction as part of the new “spaceport” complex.

Pederson said that with the complex, the science community hopes to highlight advancements and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). And they plan to do it soon.

“I think it’s going to go fast, though,” Pederson said. “I know coming from our local Representative Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud), he said that everybody is very interested in doing something quickly, and that the governor wants education to be mixed, which will even NASA wants it.”

Pederson said the sooner the “educational” project is done, the sooner regular people like you and me can experience the wonders of space exploration.

“I will say, you know, at my age, I’m 65 years old — I thought we’d be flying around the moon and all that stuff by 2001,” Pederson said.

“We’re not that far yet, but you know, it’s cool because soon somebody’s going to be flying to another planet. I think I’m sure this thing could be super realistic by the people who make the domes and all this shows that they go to these domes”.

Next steps, according to Pederson, include equipping the Inspiration and its home dome with enough technology; attracting “similarly committed” partners to education; and working with local officials – like Putnam – to pick a perfect, accessible place to put it all.

“At first we were going to do the Mall of America, but the plans fell through with COVID and it hasn’t recovered to the point where we could do that. We also talked to the Science Museum in St. Paul, but they didn’t have enough land for them done that,” Pederson said.

So, of all places, why St Cloud? And where exactly will the ship land?

“The Challenger Learning Center did a study and the person who was starting it told me that St. Cloud was one of the best choices,” Pederson said. “And because I know St. Cloud — because I’m originally from here — I’ve worked with the mayor and some of the others here, and it turns out it’s a good place; it’s a beautiful area, located in center for people around the place to visit”.

Pederson said the plan is to build the complex off a major exit off Interstate 94 so members of the public can easily access it.

In addition to educational purposes, the project will also be used to train space explorers, having already attracted a long list of astronauts – and airlines – vying for the opportunity to “fly” it.

“The idea is maybe the airlines will sell you a ticket to the places they can’t take you,” Pederson said. “We’re talking to some of the airlines about it, and so far, they’re very interested. And, of course, none of us are probably going to space here. [but] you can do that based on all the things that NASA has learned — all the pictures and pictures and AI-generated movie stuff that you would travel and experience.”

And according to Pederson, Bob Cabana — former astronaut, NASA associate administrator and native Minnesotan — is currently, unofficially, the first pilot on the line.

“He’s a very connected astronaut, and he’s also very connected to Minnesota, and he just said, basically, ‘If you’re going to do it right, I want to be a part of it,'” Pederson said. “He doesn’t want to embarrass Minnesota, or himself, or NASA, so, you know, do it right.”

But then again, you don’t have to be a NASA rocket scientist to experience Minnesota’s new space shuttle simulator.

“Some of them (astronauts) said to me, ‘Get a jump seat so I can bring one of my kids, my grandkids, so I can show, ‘Here’s what that day was,”’ Pederson said. “There’s four seats on the flight deck, and then there’s three more in the middle cabin, so there’s room for people to be there while this guy is doing it.

“Plus, we’re going to put seats in cargo, and it should be a very overwhelming, very cool thing, like a plane ride.”

And the next thing you know, Pederson said, the walls will light up with televisions, transporting those lucky enough to experience the simulation to another place completely out of this world.

“… Then the doors open and you’re looking at the rings of Saturn.”

Follow these links for more information about the LVX System and Dr. Felicity-John Pederson.

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