A spaceship has landed at Purdue. Boeing donated a model of its X-20 Dyna-Soar Hypersonic Space Plane to the university. A dedication ceremony was held Friday afternoon at Armstrong Hall.
The X-20 Dyna-Soar was a one-man, piloted, space glider created in the late 1950s, but it never flew.
Dean of Engineering Leah Jamieson says it still contributed to the U.S. space program.
"It provided significant engineering technology and advancements that contributed to the future of spacecraft, including the Space Shuttle."
It will hang over the foyer of the atrium in Armstrong Hall.
Darryl Davis is president of Boeing Phantom Works and a Purdue graduate. He hopes the model inspires faculty and students.
"I hope that it helps everyone remember that the work you do today, and will do in the future, developing the next generation of aerospace engineers is important for all mankind - to borrow a quote."
Neil Armstrong was one of seven astronauts chosen for the Dyna-Soar program. Plans to bring a model of the space plane to Armstrong Hall have been in the works over the past five years and included discussions with Armstrong, who died in 2012.
