"We can't put into words how much this means to us and what it's going to provide in terms of opportunity for us," said Jack Dailey, the museum's director. "We're making these changes to meet the needs of visitors today and of tomorrow."
In the meantime, museum officials were busily preparing for a host of dignitaries to say farewell to Discovery, headlined by John Glenn but also including NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and museum director Jack Dailey.