The final Space Shuttle mission is set for Feb. 26, 2011. After that, three shuttles – Atlantis, Endeavor and the prototype Enterprise – will head to museums where they will go on public display.

One of the sites in the running is the Museum of Flight here in Seattle. It would be a perfect choice. Few cities stand out in terms of space and science like Seattle.

Boeing is one of the big reasons, of course. And thought the company’s headquarters moved to Chicago a few years ago, Seattle still is synonymous with flight, science and space – everything that makes up this country’s Space Shuttle program.

The competition to house the shuttles is fierce. Discovery, the oldest of the shuttles, is going to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. That makes perfect sense. Other key sites in the running for the others are the Johnson Space Center in Houston; the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio; and the Intrepid Air & Space Museum in New York City.

It’s easy to make a case for the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It, too is synonymous with space flight. If so, the third site must be on the West Coast and here, Seattle is best.

Seattle already has the reputation to bring people to see the shuttle. Even more, it is an international city with close ties to Asia, giving it a chance to showcase the shuttle to thousands of international visitors.

The museums that are picked will have to build showcases to exhibit the shuttle. The The Museum of Flight already is well on its way to making this happen by raising $8 million of the $12 million necessary to build a facility.

The museum actually broke ground this week for the shuttle exhibit hall. All we need now is for NASA to clear either Atlantis, Endeavor or Enterprise for a landing in Seattle.

The Museum of Flight has opened an online petition where people can voice their support for bringing a shuttle to Seattle.