Where to put a space shuttle?
Folks in Texas who are close to the space program were not happy from the get-go. Here they were, home to the Johnson Space Center, Mission Control, the Astronaut Corp., and they didn’t get one of NASA’s retired space shuttles.
They were angry. “No city in the world deserves an orbiter more than Houston, Texas,” said U.S. Representative Pete Olson from Texas.
Now, they are even angrier. “It’s a bait and switch,” U.S. Representative Ted Poe told CNN. Why does Poe say that?
At a cost of nearly $30 million dollars a piece, dozens of museums bid for one of the retired space shuttles. New York’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River was one of the winners. It gets Enterprise, a test shuttle that never flew into space, currently at the Smithsonian.
That’s what got Texans angry to begin with. Poe says, “New York - God Bless them - they’re a wonderful city, but they have no connection to the space program and no connection to NASA, so why would the shuttle go to New York? It’s like putting the Statue of Liberty in Omaha.”
What set Texans off again and sparked the “bait and switch” remark is the Intrepid Museum’s plan for housing the shuttle Enterprise.
Back in May of 2010, before the shuttles were awarded, here’s what the museum’s director Susan Marenoff-Zausner told CNN: “On the west end of the pier we currently have the Concorde. And we would look to shift the placement of the Concorde and place the shuttle in that spot.”
Well, all that has apparently changed. The new plan is to construct a building for the Enterprise not on the pier but across a busy highway on land the museum doesn’t yet own. The land is now a parking lot next to a car wash, warehouses and a bagel shop. A walk bridge over the highway would connect the main museum to the Enterprise Building.
Back when the museum was still lobbying for a shuttle, officials there were more than anxious to talk with us. Now, they turned down our request for an interview. Instead, they issued a statement, “We look forward to Enterprise’s arrival at the Intrepid, which will quickly become New York City’s newest landmark and seen by millions of visitors to our great city. While we continue to be in the planning stages, we remain on track with both our logistics and our fundraising.”
But, it’s not what they promised. Says Representative Poe: “Time to re-open the bidding process again because the person that got the bid really isn’t fulfilling the obligation that they agreed to. So, re-evaluate it.”
You often hear the expression, “location, location, location.” Location is one of the primary reasons NASA selected New York. The space agency wants its retired shuttles to be seen by as many eyeballs as possible. New York has a huge advantage there.
NASA’s Administrator Charles Bolden seems fine with New York’s new plan and location saying, “I don’t tell them how to suck eggs. You know, they gave us a plan. They told us they would have the money. They gave us a schedule and everything and as far as I know, they’re on schedule and so I trust them that they’re gonna deliver what they said.”
It will be at least a year before any of the retired shuttles are delivered to museums. Atlantis will stay in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour goes to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Smithsonian gets Discovery. To make room for Discovery, Enterprise has to move to New York.
If its new building isn’t ready, Enterprise would likely be housed in a climate controlled tent at the city’s JFK Airport.
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Huston needs to humble themselves a bit. I think the shuttle that was owed to them broke up right over their heads. Had the Columbia survived it would have been rightly theirs. There just is not enough shuttles to accommodate every worthy place. Both Huston and Huntsville deserve shuttles but both of them were heroically lost in the line of duty and that's how they should look at it.
Learn how to spell.
sure. It's not my strongest skill.
Huntsville already has a complete space shuttle system, the Pathfinder
Didn't know that, I got to go see that one. But I still say there are a lot of good places and not enough vehicles to go around.
Personally it doesnt matter what state or city put effort in the space program and who should get space shuttles its about money. The more people see them the more money they get. Sorry but no one thinks logically they think $$$$.
Interesting observation, given all the political clamor about businesses out-sourcing in order to make more money and to take more tax money from the rich to give opportunity to the not rich. So, put the shuttle on display somewhere where there is already a lot of dollars coming in due to the tourist industry rather than give another area a chance. Especially when there are close ties between the space program and Houston. (Though technically, JSC is not in Houston 🙂 )
Houston tourism at NASA is extremely insufficient, inadequate and the staff just don't do it for the tourists. DON'T BRING THE SHUTTLE HERE!!!!
I have no problem with Houston not getting an orbiter. Although Houston is a fairly busy tourist destination, NASA made a decision to have these spacecraft displayed where the traffic will be steady. Los Angeles and New York are not just our two largest cities; they're also popular with tourists from around the world and they have ties to American space efforts. KSC and NASM should go without saying. But I think some Texans shot JSC in the foot with talk about the state leaving the Union. If that really was the case, I wouldn't blame NASA for not leaving such a plum there.
I think the shuttle that was owed to them broke up right over their heads. Had the Columbia survived it would have been rightly theirs. There just is not enough shuttles to accommodate every worthy place. Both Huston and Huntsville deserve shuttles but both of them were heroically lost in the line of duty and that's how they should look at it.
The Shuttle Wings were manufactured in the NY City suburb of Bethpage. The final shuttle design was in part a concept of Grumman Corp. at that site. The Lunar LAnder also. When Rep Ted Poe says NY has "no connection to the space program and no connection to NASA" he doesnt know what he is talking about.
If that's the case, why not put the shuttle in Bethpage, by that logic? Not at the Intrepid site.
Intrepid recovered Gemini 3..
Yes, and I would suggest that the Gemini 3 be put on exhibit at the Intrepid. Unfortunately, it's on display at the Grissom Memorial in Indiana.
Personally I do not care where one of these vehicles is displayed.. My point was that Rep Ted Poe's statement was entirely wrong. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies is actually located wtihin New York City! At at the intersection of Broadway and West 112th St! Even in the Millenium and at Grumman, the Second Gen Reusable Launch Vehicle Intgrated Vehicle Health Manageent task was worked from 2000 thru 2004. So when Poe states over and over that New York has "no connection to the space program and no connection to NASA" he reveals that he does not even know that NASA has a site in NY City!
I agree that original statement was uneducated as NY does have ties to the space program. My point is the location. If "Houston" had won the shuttle lottery, I would be similarly out of sorts if they decided to house it next to the Astrodome instead of at JSC or immediately nearby.
Yes, it makes sense now for the one of the shuttle to be in Houston and I would like to see there. I guess this reminds me of something that happened 50 years ago, people were wondering what sense it made to have NASA in Houston? It seemed at the time that the support base for the space program ought to reside somewhat near where the embarkation to space would occur. But, thanks to the adept political maneuvering of Lyndon Johnson, it did not go where it made sense and Houston happily benefitted from NASA's presence from then on. Ceartainly, "Cocoa Beach, we have a problem" does not carry quite the same ring or sense of urgency. Unfortunately, Houston, you're not positioned politically as you were 50 years ago. Thanks to the wiles of a group of slick New York museum docents with millions to spend, you got aced out of the shuttle to a higher bidder. It makes no sense and I'm sorry, but here we are.
I think folks have forgotten why Houston was selected for MIssion Control. It's in the center of the contiguous 48, halfway between Edwards AFB and Cape Kennedy. Putting it there made eminent sense as it was a major communications point. I think folks also forget that it's the 4th largest city in the country, the petrochemical industry hinges on that region, and it's the major hub between the United States and South America. While Americans don't tend to view Houston with the glamour that they have for New York, LA, and Chicago, the rest of the Western Hemisphere sees it as a major international port, diplomatic center, and commerce center. As more and more commerce develops in South America and Central America, Houston is uniquely poised on the Gulf coast to emerge as one of the next major supercities in the world in the 21st century.
Those with investment capital have been taking note of Houston and what it offers, and as South America begins its own economic emergence, that city will be a force to be reckoned with on a global scale.
Nice post hoc revisionist reasoning. Houston got a space center because Johnson was the President. End of story.
Anyone else think this article was about Whitney Houstons drug problem?
So Enterprise will be in an air-conditioned tent in New York City? Is it also protesting Wall Street because it doesn't have a job either?? Another freeloader on my 1%-er job-creating teat...
I will tell everyone of you that I am a lifelong Texan and damn proud of it!!!! It's all about respect people!!! I don't want the Statue of Liberty in Texas because it belongs in New York!! It is just my opinion that Houston deserved a shuttle.
Texas has always been a state that takes care of itself. We had two hurricanes within three years and no one ran to our
rescue like they did elsewhere. People were still living in tarp covered dwellings three years later. Did you hear us screaming at the govt to come take care of us!!! Negative-we did it our damn selves. We came through that and we will weather this.
God Bless Texas!!!!
If "Texas can take care of itself," then go ahead and build your own dang Shuttle. 🙂 I'll bet that a whole bunch of Texans voted against taxing themselves enough to afford to build a couple more of the things, back when we were still flying them. That sort of stuff comes around.
Wrong. FEMA was in Houston for the big one.
Hmm, I was part of the federal response in your state to those hurricanes. You REALLY need to find out what your government actually does...
Well I didnt see anyone for days. Sorry if you were there and I want to thank you for doing what you do.
lifelong Texan? I can tell...the lack of education and knowledge is astounding....now I understand why students from Texas have to repeat 2 full grades to catch up when they go to other states...yeah, bet you didn't know that one either....5th graders from Texas go straight into the 3rd grade when they move to Maryland....
My knowledge and understanding is fine. But thanks for asking. You just helped me make my mind up about never
traveling to Maryland. Thanks
Bull. If you are going to pop off like that, at least provide some credible documentation. While there may be anecdotal evidence of some children being reclassified going from one state to another, or even one school district to another, I'm pretty sure that it's an exception and not the norm.
Why would a Texan want to move to Maryland, and last time I looked, everyone from the north east was moving to Houston....something to do with jobs
New York is now in negotiations to sell the shuttle to China.
Houston has the Saturn IV. Nasa in Florida is getting a Shuttle. Remember the word NASA. Yes that is part of Houston. Also New York pays taxes that supported the space program. They also have allot of children that would love to be inspired by science and technology. Whats wrong with sharing property that belongs to the USA not just NASA. Remember the entire USA pays for the space program.
Texas does not support the space program by it self. The rest of the country deserves to have a part of what they paid for.
Maybe they need to move Houston Space Center to another state.
to expand on your point....people in NYC have paid FAR more toward the space program than the entire state of Texas has, let alone just Houston....
Your an idiot.
Um, Who?
Before insulting someone else's intelligence...learn how to spell, and how to use your and you're correctly.
I'm just sayin'.
@Who....50 years of taxes from a MUCH larger population with MUCH larger incomes means that NYC has put MANY more tax dollars into the space program than Houston....basic math, basic logic...
NYC has a population around 8 million. Texas has a population of 25 million. The NYC metropolitan area (counting parts of NY, NJ, CT, and PA) has a population of less than 19 million. Your stats are off. Not to mention that people from Louisiana and other parts of the mid-South would be willing to drive to see a space shuttle. If you combined only the Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and New Orleans areas you'd have a population close to 18 million. (6 mil each for Houston area and DFW, 1 to 2 million each for the others).
True. And kudos to Houston Texas for their contributions to the space program. But the N in NASA stands for NATIONAL.
I understand where Houston is coming from. But the goal was to place the orbiters where the most people will be able to see and appreciate them. Lets face it – when you think of tourist destinations in the USA, Houston does not exactly spring to mind for most people. LA, New York, Washington DC, Florida... the locations that WERE chosen were logical choices, because they see huge numbers of tourists – both national and international every year. Its a shame one of the orbiters couldn't go on tour... Houston gets it for 2 or 3 years, then it goes to Chicago, then Seattle. I'm sure the cost of doing that would be enormous and impractical.
Then lets move the Liberty Bell to Las Vegas or Miami. History be damned, the goal is to maximize tourist dollars right. Although a great town with great cheese steaks, the Vegas strip and South Beach get way more visitors than Philly.
Houston IS a logical place for a Space Shuttle to be located. No other location has stronger ties to the Space Shuttle, only Florida is EQUAL, and they did get one.
The goals were to place the shuttles where the most people, particularly the most Americans, would get to see them. They were to be spaced out around the country. Florida is an obvious choice, as is the Smithsonian. These are both on the east coast. Houston is the third logical location: It has STRONG ties to NASA (not the minor and tenuous ties touted by New York), and specifically to the Space Shuttle program. While Houston is not a big tourist location, it does get tourism to the Space Center. Geographically, it is a large city in a much more central location within the U.S., whereas New York is a third location on the east coast. (Most New Yorkers would likely get an opportunity to see the shuttle at the Smithsonian and therefore the location in New York does not contribute to the domestic viewiing of the shuttle fleet.) The location in LA does make sense also, based on the geographic argument and reasonably strong ties to the Space Shuttle program, but only after awarding a shuttle to Houston.
How can you justify not locating one of the shuttles in Houston, where the entire program has been directed from, where the astronauts are housed, and where the majority of the workers who developed and modified the shuttles over their long history have lived and worked? A place with a strong space history and space tourism industry. The only explanation that makes sense is that it was a political decision based upon President Obama's dislike of our governor here in Texas (a dislike I fully agree with), and the absolute impossibility of him ever winning this state in any election. It should not have been a political decision. It is a slap in the face of the shuttle workers in Houston, on top of all the other difficulties they are facing due to ending of the shuttle program.
I think Stennis Space Center should have gotten one. Houston gets everything even the people from New Orleans and Mexico.
Don't get me wrong because I love the Space Shuttle. And I love NASA. But there is something horribly wrong with the direction this country is going right now. China is ahead of us. Almost every country in the world is doing better than we are doing financially right now, except for the suckers we are dragging down with us. The last thing we can afford right now is a space program. We can't afford this anymore. And until we can take care of ourselves, we shouldn't even be bothering with more expenses like these until we do. Take care of your own people for a change.
Sorry, how are *WE* dragging down Greece and Ireland?
Gee Texas – you already have Rick Perry, why do you need the shuttle?
What you say just isn't true. China is not ahead of us. Almost every country in the world is not doing better than we are doing financially. This is hyperbole – not fact.
I was wondering what reality Realist was referring to....he didn't describe anything that was going on in THIS reality....
Quite true. China is decades behind the USA and Russia in terms of their space fairing capabilities. That doesn't mean they can't and wont jump ahead and we would do well to remember this, but right now, they have a LONG way to go.
Why do you think the Shuttle program was closed? The USA is opening up most routine space travel to low earth orbit (ISS and satellite delivery) to private industry. Know what you're talking about before you echo what every other anti-space program poster says ad nausium.
To the people that whine that NASA costs too much.
NASAs 1 year budget equals 2 days of war in Afghanistan.
Think about that.
This was settled months ago, but CNN can never resist an opportunity to troll their commenters. The shuttles are going to the cities where the most people will see them. Houston certainly contributed to the the shuttle program more than any other city in an operational way, but we all paid for the shuttles and all deserve the best chance to see them we can get.
Well Seattle has already built a facility to house a shuttle and they didn't get one either.
Texas: Only you like you. The other states tolerate you, but don't really like you. You are the angry boastful brother that shows up at Thanksgiving dinner telling everyone how awesome you are. Why does anyone really want to visit Texas? No idea. Why would someone visit New York, Florida or California? Many reasons. You are crap, Texas. Deal with it. Or secede like your dumb governor wants to.
Bart,
having been to TX, CA, NY, and FL. I would rather go back to TX. The people are nicer by far, they know how to drive, have the only 85mph speed limit in the nation allowing me to drive faster as I like to, and again people are nice.
but I guess that is just the opinion of a guy who travels...
only morons think speed limits matter in the first place....SMART drivers all over the country(read as outside Texas) IGNORE them so there is no NEED to waste money making signs that say what people are already doing....
Completely agree. I have lived in two of the states, been to all 4, but not originally from either. Texas by far the most enjoyable.
Yall come on to Texas!! You are welcome anytime. Oh–but Loki-you and your morons can stay where you are!!!!
So based on your flawed logic- every piece of art or museum artifact should only reside in NY b/c more people will see it. The shuttle should be in Houston b/c it actually has some relevance there. Ask any astronaut their opinion and I guarantee you that they will pick Houston over NY.
because astronauts are experts on tourism? hmmm, that doesn't sound right.....why would I ask an astronaut a question that has NOTHING to do with BEING an astronaut?
Loki has too much time. Get a job.
Unfortunate ther are only a few to go around. Los Angeles was the prime contributor since Rockwell, now Boeing, was the prime shuttle, cointractor. New York has case as a manufacturer on subcontrct to Rockwell for the Shuttle.
I too enjoy Texas and know some really nice people from the state. But I find the "holier than thou" arrogance that many of its residents exhibit to be tiresome and nauseating. You aren't "better" (or worse) than the rest of the nation, Texas. Get over yourself.
Being an 18 year Yankee in Texas I can understand well the feeling of those from outside Texas about the Texas snobbery. It is real and palpable. People are nice here – up to a point. Some of it as phony as the big hair the women still like to sport here. There is, however, a reason why Texas has such a big opinion of itself. Consider its history – some of it is admirable – and some laughable. Not hearing that the war ended and having a skirmish in spite of the fact that it did is probably among the most amusing – there are others. Native born Texans are a special breed, bless their hearts, however, some of them do need to tone it down a bit. I remember when I arrived here and went to a certain fast foot joint native to Ohio. There was a Texas Burger, a Texas Biggy Fry and a Texas sized drink. I thought – good GRIEF – what is wrong with these people. Now I just laugh. They brag – but some of it comes from having endured years of hardship and poverty and finally having "made it". Ray Hunt is a Texas-sized example – multiple families (and proud of it), possibly one of wealthiest man in the world at one time – so what does he build – a replica of Mount Vernon – it sits proudly towering over the Dallas Arboretum (though not part of it). My community has a pool in the shape of Texas, the Texas "Pool on the Creek" – who built it – when my community was formed in 1954? Ray Hunt. It was a gift to the people of the community. He had a big heart – but he had a big opinion of himself too.
We would if we could Fart.
I can fully understand where pro-Texasand pro-Houston advocates are coming from. I admit, Houston is up there when it comes to contributions to NASA.
However, if we follow your logic through, then that would mean every major museum in the world would have to return their most priceless pieces to their respective home countries "Because". For example,
1 – The Louvre art museum would Paris would be required to return every piece not tied directly to France (e.g. Statue of Nikh, Mona Lisa, Persian statues, Greek carvings, etc.)
2 – The British museum would be required to return their Egyptian and Greek relics (e.g. Rosetta Stone, Parthenon statues)
Now I have been to San Antonio and Houston on business trips and I enjoyed my visits.
However, when I think of USA vacations, I think of LA, Vegas, Orlando, Miami and New York as my top attractions.
No offence to Houston.
New York is one of the main tourist hubs in America so it makes sense to have one of the space shuttles there as it will attract tourists and their pocket books.
Actually, a case can be made for art and especially antiquities to be returned to their country of origin. In many instances, museums have done just that. Particularly in the case of Egyptian antiquities, but then Egypt spends quite a lot of effort trying to get back their artifacts.
NYC- you are NOT the center of the universe. You don't deserve a shuttle, period. the places that deserve one are Kennedy Space Center a& Houston as they are the locations that sent the shittles up and broguht them back home. Give respect where respect is due.... leave the shuttles @ home so those that do believe in the space program can appreciate them. Not some uptght New Yorker who has zerop apprecaition for space travel.
DESERVE??!??? We paid 30 million for it, if you want a shuttle fork out the money for it, cowboy!!
Did you just call someone with the name 'Chi-Town Girl' a cowboy? LOL
Each city would have been required to pay that same amount, so that has nothing to do with why NYC received a shuttle. There is no logical reason, based on their own stated objectives, why 3 shuttles would be placed on the east coast.
"Unless you're in the shipping or oil business, nobody goes there" Paul this statement makes you sound like a Moron. Have you ever been to Houston. Much more than shipping and Oil business.
whatever tourism Houston attracts is miniscule compared to NYC....a shuttle in Houston would be a waste of a shuttle....
This is very true. I do not only live in Houston, I work for the ISS program and have enormous respect for NASA astronauts and engineers. On the one hand, no one deserves this honor more then them. However, Shuttle is soooo much bigger than a personal achievement award. Orbiter in Houston will be hidden from 99,999999999% of the world population. Except for people from Texas small towns, very few would plan to spend vacations in Houston or even Galveston. Add a few business people and foreign students and this will be it. Shuttle can not sit in the backyard for one city to worship it. NY is still America, right?
Irene, I respectfully disagree. If you ever have an afternoon free, why not go by and check out the plates on the vehicles parked in the visitors lot over at JSC. I was there this past summer and was surprised at the number of plates from the various states.
If I remember right W. wanted to give the contract for the new Air Force tanker to the French. Maybe we should a shuttle to Paris since they didn't get the tanker contract.
Ted Poe is a whiny d-bag.
So the problem is that we didn't build enough shuttles. Or that we built too many. Live and learn...
Ok, I am from Houston. And I agree, one of the Shuttles really should have come to Houston. It makes since, being that NASA is here, and has been from the inception of the space program. But enough wining already. We lost. Get over it already. Unless NY, or one of the other winning bids decides to fess one up (unlikely) all we are doing is beating a dead horse. (or a dead space program...whichever way you look at it.
Face it. Houston is a backwater. Unless you're in the shipping or oil business, nobody goes there. Even if NYC gives up their slot, I'd think next in line would be Chicago or perhaps ATL. This is about the bucks (future), not Buck Rodgers.
Backwater?
Spoken like someone who isn't afraid to show the depth and breadth of their ignorance.
actually, spoken like someone who is from a bigger city....sorry, but the idea of Houston as a major metro area is laughable to people from LA, NYC, DC, Chicago.....Houston is a TOWN to people from "Big" cities....
5.9 million people according to Forbes....projected to double in 25 years (Journal of Commerce)...yeah, small town. I guess Houston will tell all those people moving there from LA, Chicago, NYC and DC to go back home.
where did all this politics comefrom this article is not even closely related to politics
When did Texas become such a state of whiners?
First They whine that they didn't get a shuttle, nevermind the fact that they had little financial backing and even less organizational planning for their proposal. Second, Anita Perry whines about how the liberal media is slandering her husband for his religious beliefs. Thrid, Anita Perry whines that her son is jobless because he just had to resign from his job because of Obama. Now they are whining about the shuttle again because NYC wants to put it a few feet from where they said they would display it.
For God sakes, grow up.
So Texas is a state of whiners because Anita Perry and a couple of congressmen are complaining about things? By your logic would it be safe to assume that your mom's basement is a happening place for you on Saturday nights?
no, Texas is a state of whiners because it is filled with a bunch of people that whine... "WAAAAH!!! I can't compete with the people that don't even speak the language so I want them arrested and shipped away!!!"
You forgot to mention the whining about not getting enough federal disaster aid to fight their wildfires. They need it really bad since their state government just totally gutted their firefighting and forestry resources.
Wow, I never knew Texas had so many whiners and crybabies. Get over it people. NASA was looking for a site that promoted THEIR agenda and putting a shuttle in NYC will draw more attention. And some podunk lawmaker announcing he wants the bidding reopened is only going to draw a laugh. Maybe he should be focused on real problems and not trying to stir up a tempest in a teapot?
Waaah, I want a shuttle in Salt Lake City. We made some doohickey that allowed the shuttle to fly so we DESERVE one.
Texans are a bunch of whiners and crybabies but I actually agree with them on this one.
Saltlake cant have one if they cant even remember the name of the part...doohickey...love it 🙂
Mike,
Keep up with what is really happening. Logic says give the shuttles to the places which played major rolls in the construction, operation, and maintenance of these vehicles. Houston had all three. AND every space mission since was controlled by Houston. New York played no part in the shuttle program. This was a political move by the current Administration to hopefully get votes.
Actually, the Grumman Aerospace on Long Island built the wings for the shuttles, so yes, New York was involved in the program.
"Houston we have a problem" is the first, and one of the best, lines in this YouTube movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqySrCjFNVY
You're right. The second most overused line in Hollywood history is indeed the best line in this homebrewed crapfest. Could you tell me how it ends? I fell asleep after "Houston, we ha–"... Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Put them on train cars and pull them around the country; or better yet, attach one to a rigid airship and give rides. They could also be used as roadside diners, or special rides and theme parks. Who wants to walk through a rusting piece of history and remember how we failed, make lemonade out of lemons.
who needs this glorified version of an airplane? That whole program accomplished exactly zilch and spent cost about 10 trillion dollars over the years. This has to be one of the biggest wastes of money outside of the two phony wars that we are now fighting that this country ever blew!!!
For those saying who cares about Texas... You're either an idiot Liberal who voted for that stupid nigger we have now, or you are a nigger. And IF you're white...
Wow. Congrats on exemplifying the typical Texas. Enjoy your ban!
Texan, don't do your State the injustice of opening your mouth! You're a racist, stereotyping waste of skin. I think most Texans would disown your sorry ass.
Go wash your white sheets and hood – and your dirty mouth while you're at it
Hey "Texan",
As a true Texan who has worked on the SSP for nearly a decade, I will say that you have no business speaking on our behalf. In addition, as a human being, I would sincerely love to meet face to face to explain why your racist bigotry has no place in this discussion..or any other for that matter.
He probably isn't even from Texas. Pluto, maybe. Or perhaps Uranus.
I take it you are not supporting Cain because of his skin color. I do care about some Texans, the ones that aren't dragging black people behind pick-ups, so obviously I don't care about you. Nor do I care for the Texans who whine how they want to either secede or rule the US as a super-state, but refuse to show any patriotism or any care to anyone else in the USA. There are millions of good people in Texas and I know some of them, but you are not in that group. I bet you wish that the capitol of Texas would move to Waco, and the capitol building should be built on the rubble of the Koresh compound, where a monument could be built for all neocon Christians, a monument to Hypocrisy.
I somehow doubt TEXAN is and actual Texan ... more likely a moby
It's sad how cowardly bigots get brave when hiding behind an Internet name like "Texan". Still, this person serves as an example of what's happened to Texas since we fell under right-wing control. Our slack-jawed, toothless, under-educated masses became empowered when ignorance and bigotry became virtues. Most profess to follow Christianity and the teachings of Christ. I've always wondered what kind of rationalization is required to make the leap from Jesus to using hate terms like "nigger". I'm not a religious person but if I was a Christian and behaved like "Texan"... I'd really be worried about Judgement Day.
Texan is more likely from Montana or something. In the past years Ive experienced more racism in Boston, NY and DC than I ever have in Texas.
your name very aptly describes your position as the spewing sphincter of stupidity. Here's a plastic bag and some razorblades, go play in the corner.
Houston doesn't deserve a shuttle. All the dumba** Republicans there and their governor are brainwashed anti-science religious nutjobs. I'm glad NASA told them to go jump in a lake. Go have fun in a corner with your pretend sky friends while the rest of us actually reach for the sky.
Excuse me, but not all of us in Texas voted for Perry. Some like me, have NEVER voted for Perry!
The only place you'll ever reach with that attitude is hell!!! Enjoy it downstairs!!!
Your ignorance frightens and saddens me.
A, You are soooooooooo ignorant about Texas. The amount of Science and Technology that has come from Texas is unmeasureable. Huge advances in the Medical field alone have allowed millions to live years longer and better. Without Texas and Florida there wouldn't be a Space program. The Military Industrial Complex in Texas alone could rule the Planet. Florida may be the ONLY other place that Deserves a Shuttle as much as Texas.
generally, when you attempt to express yourself, it would help to learn some CORRECT vocabulary....IMMEASURABLE...
Hey genius, Houston is actually one of the more liberal areas of Texas (as is pretty much any of the major cities in the state, including Dallas-Ft Worth and Austin, the state capital).
Perhaps if YOU weren't such a dumb*ss, you'd know that, and not be such a fanatical hater of things you THINK you know?? Doubtful, though!!
"more liberal part of Texas" only means that you aren't a bunch of extremist rightwing-nutjobs...it doesn't mean that you aren't still a bunch of rightwing-nutjobs
The people that should really be upset are all of those that don't live on the coasts. They could have put one in "fly-over" country, Denver, Chicago, Kansas City....there are millions of us who don't live on the coasts!
Who else is sick of this John W guy? The Shuttle is not going to be in Houston and Texas is not the only state with Jobs or a decent cost of living.. Apparently not the only city who wanted the shuttles either. Sorry for your loss John W.
lol you clearly cant read i dont really care where the shuttle ends up im more upset about the US having to pay another country to use their space program...and hand having fun striring up the Ire of turdburgers like you. lol
Who cares about Texas, anyway. They're all a bunch of moronic braggerts.
This former Texan totally agrees with you!
How about them Dolphins!!!!!!!!
How about them Texans? (We have more teams than just the Dolphins 😉 [Buccaneers and Jaguars])
At least we know how to use a butterfly ballot if presented with one. You liberal m o r o n!
I will never name my kid CHAD
Doesn't matter. You guys are so red you don't even bother with Democratic candidates. You just have one whole to punch: Republican!
Blahman, it's hole you liberal douchebag, not whole.
Kathy, it's called a typo. Don't get too excited. 😉 And I'm not liberal. Just not as hard core republican as I used to be since I came to my senses. Houstonians and Texans are just too dogmatic about their party. I'd rather be more centrist. Kthxbye.
Moronic braggarts? Have you been to New York lately. When it comes to bragging, Texas has nothing on NY.
That's a damn shame Houston didn't get one of the shuttles. Florida and Houston should have been guaranteed a shuttle then the other two should have been sent to the west and east coasts.
It is a shame that Houston did not submit the paperwork to be considered for one of the Orbiters.
they did.
It's obvious here that there is a political game going on that is not being reported. Yes, NYC has more people, so I can understand that argument, but people have been coming to Houston for many years, many just to tour NASA. There is a history of rockets and space craft here and to eliminate 20 years of NASA history is an insult at least. The Shuttle completes the museum in Houston. A shame to see all the rockets and then what....a billboard picture of a shuttle? Truly an insult.
Why not remove Lincoln from Mount Rushmore and move him to NYC? That way more people can see him too! Let's just move the Arch from St. Louis too! Why not? More people can see it in NYC.... All landmarks are unique to the places they originate from.....but we'll deal with you NYC. Just give us the Statue of Liberty as a trade and we'll call it even!
I beg to differ with you U.S. Representative Ted Poe. How can you say "New York – God Bless them – they’re a wonderful city, but they have no connection to the space program and no connection to NASA, so why would the shuttle go to New York?". You better get you history and facts correct, because New York has a GREAT deal to do with the space program and with NASA. Where do you thing the Lunar Module (LM) was built! It was built on Long Island, New York by Grumman Aircraft Engineering. The words "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed" would never have been heard without the Lunar Module that was built by Grumman. There's your connection. So yes, I think New York does deserve to have a shuttle.
well good for your lunar module. Thats what you should get back then. The freakin SPACE STATION is in Houston, they should get one.
Pleeeease... For a minute, I thought you had some great revelation to lay on us about NY and their relationship to space. Northrup Grummond has buildings in a lot of cities worldwide. Are you suggesting that we put one in each of them also becaus NG built one component. No astronaut ever trained in NY. No one ever said "New York, we have a problem." You are so off base on this that it is pathetic. Next time you want to contribute to this conversation, please have more substance to your input.
Seriously chief, thats your argument?
Here's my rebuttal: What was the first word spoken on the moon?
(hint: the answer is a city which should be receiving a shuttle)
Actually, nothing. There is no sound in a vacuum.
Another hint: read the full report. There was a truckload of technical assessment before ANY cities were mentioned.
thats probably why the Astronauts wore space suits
1) Not really the same level of involvement. 2) This is about the shuttle program, not the Apollo program.
I understand Texans being upset but these shuttles need to be in places where people actually go and visit. The point of them being in a museum is to well...be seen. I live in NYC and can say that all the places that the shuttles are going to are in cities and states that I have actually visited. I've never even contemplated going to Houston which I'm sure is the case for most people, no offense.
Ellie, NEW YORK HAS NO SPACE HISTORY.. This is about history, not tourism!!!
And how do you think history is preserved? Through tourists.
How exactly do you expect future generations to learn about the shuttle if it's stuck the hottest, most humid, least tourist-friendly city in Texas and seen by no one? I've lived in Austin and I've been to Houston. With Astroworld gone, there is next to nothing to see or do there.
As you say, this is about history. It's not meant to be a monument to the work done at JSC. The shuttle belongs to the American people and should be placed in a location that allow as many people to see it as possible.
Um. The Lunar Modules that took 12 astronauts were built on Long Island...
.... Hey... it was Bush (a Texan) that singed the Shuttle programs death warrant. It was Texas and the republican party that gutted most since and exploration programs... Glad to see NASA telling Texans to go jump in a like. Besides... who vacations in Texas? .... Didn't Texas, Republicans, and all the bushes gut FEMA and Fire department... then day have a wildfire and no fire department to fight it... then turn around and ask help from a gutted FEMA...
Texans really have no sense of reality. When people think of the Apollo missions... yes "Houston we have a problem" comes to mind.. other than that when people think of NASA and the space shuttle program everyone thinks of Florida. I have been to the Space Center there.... would never go to Texas to see it. Why would NASA give a space shuttle to a state that is just going to de-fund the museum after getting the space shuttle and pack the think up in Moth balls. Keep thumping your bibles down peoples throats and shoving creationism down Innocent childrens heads.. stay away from everything science. Lets just give you back to Mexico and we go from there.
No offense taken Ellie. Houston is a business city, not a destination city. I love the city, but I am also realistic about it. It's a business mecca, not a place to take the family to for a vacation.
I'm sad the shuttle won't be here, but I am also not going to freak out about it like some others are on this board. Thanks for stating your opinion without being hostile. Wish others could do the same.
From a Texan.
Mateo, did you move to Texas or were you born there? I have no animosity towards Ellie. I am quite sure she meant well in her comments about New York. But again I say history is the focal point, and NASA totally missed it. I remember as a little boy when the concept of an indoor stadium came up. When the Astrodome was built, people came from ALL OVER THE WORLD to see it. It was called the 8th WONDER OF THE WORLD!! As the old saying goes, "If you build it, they WILL come." FYI, I am now a resident of Northern VA, just 8 miles from the Air and Space Museum. Can see it anytime I want. But my heart will always be in TEXAS..
Well said, Mateo. My views of Houston are the same. Good business city and nice place to live – just not a tourist hotspot.
I was born in Texas, raised here, went to school at TCU and now work back in Houston. I wish the shuttle was coming here trust me, just like I will be sad the day the knock the Astrodome down (which it seems will eventually happen). I actually don't ever come on here to comment. I just can't stand all the back and forth hate I am reading, whether that be Texans attacking liberals or others attacking Texans. There's no point and it doesn't do anything productive.
What is so great is that everyone has the right to disagree and can freely express that. But all of this we should secede, or get out of the counrty, liberal morons, conservative religious freaks comment, what does it accomplish? Everyone thinks they have a right to their opinion, but if all you're saying is hyperbole, then what is the point? I could tell you the sky is green, because it's my opinion. It also means my opinion is baseless and flat out wrong. The generalizations people are making across the board are sad. There are democrats in Texas, and there are Republicans in NY and there are a lot of people who choose independence because they think both sides are both skewed. I only started commenting because of the baseless and generic statements being made towards my hometown, but there are a lot of people on here from Texas (who probably aren't even from Houston) that make me just as ashamed.
I was just simply giving someone their due for stating their opinion and not slinging mud while doing it. This isn't directed at you or anyone in particular, and it is pretty off topic from the whole shuttle situation in the first place. But at the end of the day, we are all Americans. I guess I am just tired of seeing everyone on here act as immature as congress.
When I think of historic tourism, I think of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., The Battlefield of Gettysburg and The Museum of Natural History in New York City. Even though Houston is much closer to me. I have never gone there. I have been to New York four times in my life even though it takes 6 hour by plane to get there.
I don't blame Texas for feeling like they deserve a Shuttle. But, there are more places that deserve one than there are Shuttles. No matter where the shuttles ended up, there would be people upset. This is one thing that people will just have to accept and move on.
Dude ... you think of those places because no one took their monuments and moved them to NYC !!
were just feeling a little slighted right now.....we will get over it. 🙂
As a native Texan, and someone who can walk to Johnson Space Center from his home, I find it very difficult to believe that NASA would sell their soul to New York. NASA, you my get a lot of money and "eyes' on your shuttle in New York, but one thing you have forsaken is HISTORY!! What are kids going to say 10 years from now when they read this in their history books? We have a lot of visitors at JSC also. It is utterly rediculous that a non-space entity receives one of the retired shuttles, and the most popular space city in the world receives NOTHING!!! This has nothing to do with Gov. Perry. It is all about Mr. Bolden and his greed for money (I wonder what his take is for closing this deal?), over preserving America's great history in space. He has shown, beyond any reasonable doubt, that his heart and mind was never in the correct place. This is a slap in the face to the astronauts who trained in Houston, and especially those who lost their lives in 1986. The momories of Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christie McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik, have been tainted by the blatant greed of the organization that they paid the ultimate price to preserve. SHAME ON YOU NASA!!!
What a bunch of baloney!
Steve, show me some baloney and I will bring the bread and mayo. Again, I need some facts to back up what you are saying. "What a bunch of baloney" does not began to make me even want to make me respect your opinion. If we are going to engage in verbal warfare, we need words to express ourselves, and facts to justify those words. Tell me, what part of my dissertation did you not agree with, and why, then, I will attempt to enlighten you on my point of view. Deal??
Like you said you have a lot of visitors to Houston to visit the Space Center already. NASA wants to reach out beyond those borders, increase public awareness of their programs. That can't be accomplished by placing a Shuttle at a place that people go to already in droves.
What a crock. You dare to invoke the memory of Christa McAuliffe, but not only can you not spell her name correctly, you completely overlook the fact that SHE WAS A TEACHER! Do you think she'd want her legacy dumped in Houston and seen by no one, or placed in a location where millions of kids could see and experience it?
I weep for your mental capacity.
The fact that you weep for my mental well being is very touching. You only supported your argument by pointing out a mispelled name, and the fact that she was a teacher. I was well aware of that fact, my friend. But once she began her training, she became an ASTRONAUT. There's only one place you can get that training in America, and that is at JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, in Houston, Texas. Please man, do not wast my time with a weak argument. And take your prozac before you write next time!!! Just kidding dude!!
Griff-Griff, if your time was valuable, you wouldn't be here in the first place so let's stop pretending that you matter.....Also, you are a moron who fails to see the obvious....Houston doesn't matter...not at all, not even in the slightest bit....the people there don't matter, not at all, not even in the slightest bit....If Houston wants to improve, maybe they should look into fixing their crime lab and stop putting innocent people on death row...the space thing is done, Houston will no longer have a part in anything to do with space and everything that is there will end up getting moved to actual cities that people go visit to sit in museums that people actually go to....
How sad that we no longer have a vehicle for launching astronauts into orbit. It seems like witht the advances in technology we should be able to build another shuttle for much cheaper and maybe, you know, lead again? Anyway, Wright Patt AFB would have been nice. They need to be spread out around the country.
We go from being a nation who could put men on the moon to a nation who is now hitch hiking with the Russians. Un – $%$^% – believable.
I think that Houston should get the Challenger. Just put a giant pile of debris in front of the Johnson Space Center and a sign that says 'Space Shuttle Challenger" The 'Johnson' space center. What a name, why don't you just call it the 'Chang Space Center'. Damn Koreans and their goofy names. I heard that the Air Force Museum is getting all of the fecal matter from the various space shuttles. They're going to empty all of the poo tanks on the front lawn of the USAF Museum. I think it's pretty cool...... space poo. Just think, it was once astronaut food.
Texas already got Columbia. Challenger belongs to Florida or the Atlantic.
@super slider...if you're going to make a tasteless comment at least say something funny. Your post is awful.
Good call Sammy. Come to think of it, how do they poo in space? I mean it floats around. I read that John Glenn acidentally head butted his own turd. Think of it, you squeeze one out, and next thing you know it's starin' you in the face. Laughin at you.
It's called a zero-G toilet. Before that, they used baggies and special pants. Why? So that people like you could make up stupid turd-in-space jokes without the bother of actually having to know anything.
And i will leave a giant pile of debris on your front porch. wink wing i had a chili dog for lunch! all that you deserve.
wah wah wah.......
this is a big hint to TEXAS get out of the United States of America then we can invade u for your oil
invade you? Don't tell me, let me guess.... Iran?
Go on. Invade us. We'll leave the lights on for ya, and stock up on the bandages you'll need. Tip-o-the-hat to ya.
They already have invaded...
You can get a moving rental truck going out of Texas for a couple of hundred dollars but to get one coming here will cost you a thousand. Want to know why. All of the the rental moving trucks are all here. And guess what...I don't see any of them leaving...the eyes of Texas are on all of you fools! And by the way don't mess with us or haven't you heard?
might as well invade, Mexico is.
[Don't worry; In the end, the shuttles will wind up where all old cargo birds wind up: "corrosion corner" in Miami~]
I still don't know why they built the shuttle to begin with. If they wanted a re-useable space plane to put astronauts in orbit, bring them back, and land on a runway, you'd need a vehicle about the size of a Lear jet. If you want to launch satellites, it makes more sense to put them on top of an unmanned Titan or Atlas rocket, with no fear of loss of life. So why did they build this great big truck of a vehicle that really wasn't needed? Something's missing from the story.....
but you cant pack enough fuel on a lear jet to get out of the atmosphere
You can't recover satellites with a capsule. They only other method they have of getting a satellite back to earth is burning up and disintegrating on re-entry.
Go to astronautix.com and look up "space shuttle program". it's called basic research. Be careful though, you might accidentally learn something.
The placement of the shuttles relates directly to the Chicago outhouse sludge type of "pay to play". The shuttles have been placed in liberal/socialist bastions, down payment for continued repayment votes for the high treason and tyranny in the Oval Office.
It's all a big conspiracy. And you better shut up about it! We have a huge fleet of black helicopters with UN markings in the Bahamas ready to invade the US and force you into one of the new "education camps", where you will be denied access to Fox News! BOOOOHHAHAHAHAHA!
thanks for ruining my love of the Bahamas!!!!!!!! dont you know that liberal stain will never come out!!!!!!!
I have no idea what you just said........But it sounded AWSOME!!!!!!!!
Hey bro, can I borrow some tin foil?
I AM BORED WITH THIS TOPIC
After reading some of the comments form those not from Texas I understand why our country is in the shape it is. Please do us a favor and stay out of Texas when you are looking for work. From all of the out of state license plates on the road apparently there are a lot that want to be here. We don't need or want your liberalism , socialism, atheism, communism and lack of respect for God and country. Could secession be the answer?
You tell 'em Brenda. AMEN. "Don't Mess with Texas" relates to all manner of "trash".
lol, Ture!
Give the secession argument a rest Brenda. Makes you sound small.
Regards,
Fellow Texan.
Speak for yourself, Brenda. I'm a Texan and no fan of your narrow-mindedness. All are welcome in Texas – not just those that share your views.
Nicely said, Erik.
Ok, just keep Perry and your rain prayers in Texas too. Also, we will halt all bales of hay into Texas that you need more than ever due to drought.
Then secede already rather than mouthing off about it. It will inevitably start another civil war. We saw what happened to the Confederacy & maybe Texans need to be put in their place, likewise.
yeah n you can keep all your fat chicks too, nobody else wants them
Yes, I agree. Secession is the answer. Please just go. Take your B&B with you (Bibles and Bigotry).
spoken like someone who knows nothing of Texas. Googling Texas just to pretend knowledge doesnt count either.
Having lived in Austin for a decade, John, I assure you that TAK is spot on. Never in my 40 years of travel have I seen the amount of blind religious hatred of people as I saw in Texas.
How about Texas leaves, and we trade a couple hundred pickup trucks for a couple of Rudy's and Chuy's franchises? That's about the only thing in Texas of any value.
Zeke that is just Austin....they are how I say this ... a little different. 🙂
If only we could just let you go. I believe I speak for most of us when I say that we're tired of Texas arrogance. You have Johnson, a liberal president, to thank for the space program and the rest of the country for funding it in your back yard. You have an energy sector that is a gift from history and geology. Beyond that... well... you've got arrogance.
We are arrogant for good reason. Go any beach anywhere in the world and draw a shape of texas in the sand and ask the locals what that is..... I think you will be amazed. I travel a great deal and always have and one thing I have noticed about peple like you is that you see to feel inferior. Well, after the Rangers win the world series and Perry is elected you should really enjoy life. Have a good time.
The Rangers might win, but Perry – ha! He's really too stupid and the nation's not ready for another stupid Texan. We have smart ones, but W and Perry aren't ones.
Actually Steve, your comment about Texas is way off base. Take it from someone who has traveled abroad often. Most foreigners know of California, New York, or Florida. A small percentage know the other states.
So secede.
Texas only houses the Space Center because of a (liberal) Democrat.
And it was a Republican who freed the slaves. What exactly is your point?
Oh snap!!
Except Lincoln's Republican party represented modern Democratic views. The parties traded idealogies in the early 20th century. Oh, snap! Someone who knows history outside of Glenn Beck's distortions. Damn us liberals and our educations!
So what your saying is that you are really Republicans and that i'm allowed to like you? that rocks:)
The CNN blogs are always quite amuzing when it comes to the comments and Texas. I watched people from all over this earth come to Texas over their home land my entire life. Countless of NY, Philly, NJ, UpState, Wisconsin, all unable to find a good life where they are, so they move to Texas and find a better life. If Texas is so bad... can we send some of these yankees home now? HOUSTON SHOULD HAVE A SHUTTLE.... the famous call from space was "HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM", not Cleveland, or Seattle or Kansas..... it's just that simple.
Point is, Houston sucks. Bunch of Self entitled selfish thinkers who believe they are God's gift to the world. -Signed Native Houstonian now living in Florida. Glad I got out.
I've spoken to Texans getting out of that "dustbowl" just as often that I've bid farewell to northeastern and midwest residents headed towards Texas. You're just using anecdotes in lieu of facts or statistics. Texas isn't even that low on unemployment. #27 (higher is worse) – Texas isn't even in the 50th percentile of states with low unemployment.
I am still trying to figure out something. If the United States WON the Mexican American War, how did we end up getting stuck with Texas? 🙂
Just lucky i guess 🙂
Try to tear yourself away from Fox News for a moment and look at the stupid comments you just made. How would you like to be a "nation" with Mexico on one border and the United States, your new enemy, on the northern border? Texas would have no Army, no Navy, no Air Force, no Border patrol, no currancy, no Social Security, no Medicare, a weak education system, a crumbling infrastructure, and a huge population of narrow-minded bigots unable to cope with diversity in the world. What sort of taxes would be required to get those things? The government would erode into a ridiculous theocracy of evangelicals determined to take us back to the good old days of segregation, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Our religious leaders would "revise" our textbooks to eliminate any facts that conflict with right-wing Christianity. Hell, we're trying to do that now! With control by the oil industry and no regulations we'd soon pollute our environment just like we did in "the good old days". We'd be a third world sewer without the adult supervision of a more progressive society. Don't threaten the rest of the U.S. with pulling out – most folks would be glad to see us leave and take Rick Perry with us!
What is wrong with Omaha? Served as a stopping point for many a westward settlement journey. The Strategic Air and Space Museum is just outside Omaha in Ashland NE, why not locate a shuttle there? Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson considers Ashland his home, and has actually flown on Atlantis and Discovery.
The major point is there are only so many shuttles, and some city is going to lose out. Houston vs NYC? I am more likely to visit NYC than Houston, and I lived in the Houston area for a while.
Whoever wrote this article has never been to Manhattan.
Ok, so the Intrepid is located on a pier on the Hudson. To get to it you have to cross the West Side Highway, which separates the piers from the rest of Manhattan. But the West Side Highway is a "highway" only in the loosest sense - there are lots of lights, lots of crosswalks, and the traffic maybe gets up to 40mph. (And there is a bridge, if you need one - the same bridge mentioned in the article.) Before, people would have also had to cross that "highway" to get to the shuttle - it would have been right next to the Intrepid out in the Hudson.
Now, they're proposing to put the shuttle on the midtown side of the highway - CLOSER to Times Square, and CLOSER to everything else in the city. Yet suddenly we're talking about it like the new location is out in the boonies somewhere? It's CLOSER to Times Square. It's EASIER to get to than the Intrepid itself, because you don't have to cross the highway to get to the shuttle. Which isn't hard to do, but...now you don't have to even do that much. Now, you wouldn't even have to cross the bridge...it would be right there in midtown.
Next to a bagel shop? Next to a carwash? Next to warehouses? Why, yes, that's true. Hey, guess what, Manhattan's crowded. We have a lot of stuff here - you could also describe it as next to a public park, next to some beautiful new residential buildings, and next to an aircraft carrier. (For that matter, you could describe Times Square as "next to a McDonalds," and the High Line as "near an auto repair shop.")
So a plan to move the shuttle closer to the heart of the city, making it more accessible to tourists, in a more secure building...what's wrong with that?
Look, I wish Houston had received a shuttle as well - and obviously this whole thing has left a bad taste in the mouths of many people down there. But this objection is just silly - it's some representative grasping at straws and trying to find someone to attack. That'd be fine if he hadn't chosen to attack a frickin' museum - I mean, a museum, for goodness sake. Yet this guy's acting like it's some sort of political opponent - making up stuff, distorting facts, etc. That's pretty low.
(And CNN, never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story, is of course there to help him in that effort.)
thanks for the directions. now i wont get lost when i NEVER go there.
Alright. Your loss, I guess.
I mean, what do you want me to say? You don't want to visit one of the most interesting cities on Earth? You'd rather sit home on your Cheetoh-stained couch watching The Price is Right? I mean, I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise - to each his own. I suppose bitter and sad is one way to go through life - if it's yours...well, then God bless you I guess.
Hey you can say anything you like about me...but please dont moke the couch..
i acknowledge my own spelling error "moke" mock....sorry
Well, it does really tie the room together.
🙂 lol Yup.
Last time I saw Enterprise, I was a kid. And it was hanging by its nose from a tower undergoing stress tests at Huntsville, Alabama. Why didn't Von Braun's workshop get one?
Sad that most people have no idea who Van Braun is. For those scratching your heads. Van Bruan was the inventor that came to the US during WWII to be the lead developer and designer of the modern rocket. With out Van Bruan you would not have the space shuttle.
Quit your crying. The only reason the Johnson Space Center is in Texas is because of politics (Johnson was from Texas). Since we have a Democrat for President, a more deserving state gets the shuttle. You can have the GWB presidential library (a trade I'll take any day).
i bet you typed that with your fist pumping in the air. is that orange tan of yours natural?
I bet you typed that with your fist pumping in your crotch. Is that sticky white mustache natural?
How old are you, 12? If you're old enough to work, do you work the day shift or the night shift at McDonalds? Grow up you dolt. I won't get into who is smarter, richer, or better looking because I am not a child (like you).
Right. This same Democratic president left us with no successor vehicle before he retired the shuttles. Great job, Obummer.
GWB killed the shuttle, and the X38, and left us with Orion and an utterly unworkable plan. Much like paying for our military excursions on the books, President Obama has worked with NASA to have a plan grounded in REALITY instead of wishful thinking and unfulfilled promises.
If you're looking for someone to be mad at, the decision to retire the shuttle fleet was made on Jan. 14th, 2004. By George W. Bush. Thanks for playing.
Juan,
I bet you are kinda embarrassed right about now huh?
unfortunatly Patrick the key word in your statement is "GROUNDED"
And the only reason a Shuttle is not going to Houston is becasue of politics namely that gutless bought and sold president Preacher-Man of yours.
Please. Don't insult preachers by associating them with our world-famous lego-haired used car salesman.
I'll take Obama over GWB any day. GWB sank our economy with his own brand of stimulus (borrowing money to give to the rich) and spent billions invading a country that posed absolutely no danger to ourselves or our allies. I know you won't listen so I'll keep this brief, but many years from now hoepfully you'll look back and realize how wrong you really were about who is "right" and who is "wrong." Peace out.
I understand that a shuttle in NY would be more accessible to people than one in Houston but there is something just not right about Houston not getting one. It is where it belongs.
Hey, they pulled strings to the space center in the first place - should have stayed in Florida. Wonder how much that "remote" center cost over the years. Who wants to visit Houston, anyways. Lived there. Glad I'm gone.
So are we. its a better place with you gone.
I would like to sue the people in the court of law who are responsible for letting the shuttle go to New York, let the court decide who gets the shuttle. Any rich Texan out there who can get this shuttle to Houston
Thousands of them, but they would want to mount the Shuttle in their front yards
And weare glad that you are gone!
"'No city in the world deserves an orbiter more than Houston, Texas,' said U.S. Representative Pete Olson from Texas."
Do Texans speak a language other than Tantrum, or is it just their politicians?
Texas doesn't need a shuttle. It got Columbia back in 2002.
Correction... 2003*
You are one sick SOB
Texas native George W Bush is responsible for killing the shuttle program. IMHO, those responsible for killing the program, aren't deserving of any consideration. None.
George was born in Connecticut, attended Yale undergrad and got his Masters from Harvard. As a Texan, I feel differently about his native status you claim. He just likes to play "Texan".
and Obama killed the Orion program that was supposed to replace it. Now we have to hitch a ride with the Russians
"In an internal e-mail apparently sent August 18, 2008 to NASA managers and leaked to the press, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin stated his belief that the Bush administration had made no viable plan for U.S. crews to participate in the International Space Station beyond 2011, and that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) were actually seeking its demise."
Obama directed NASA to focus its limited budget on operations beyond near-earth orbit operations, and leave the NEOO stuff to private industry. Time will tell if it was a good decision. I think it will be proven to be one.
New York gets one FIRST because it's f'n New York City!
Deal with it!
BD
Well, aren't you special, then.
New York is the biggest east-coast metropolis and the primary travel hub for foreign travel. Makes sense. Florida is the launch site for all these years. I guess the Smithsonian would have to get one of them. With three shuttles on the East coast, the last really needs to be on the west coast. I see the frustration here, but I don't see how it could shake out any other way. I'd rather see the Smithsonian sacrifice theirs for a midwest location, since it's the least useful location in terms of making shuttles geographically accessible to Americans.
The Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum is always at or near the top of the list of most visited museums in the US. It has the Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer, Lindberg's Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, and the Apollo 11 Command Module to name just a few of its priceless artifacts. It is in the nation's capital, which is one of the most visited cities in the US as well.
I'm really not sure how you could conclude that it is, "the least useful location" for a shuttle. If you are the kind of person who is interested in seeing a Space Shuttle, there is not a better place on earth than the National Air & Space Museum.
JSC has a mockup of the entire international space station in one of the buildings. we will just hold onto that until NY wants it.
Houston had a free ride. Lyndn Johnson put the Space Center into Houston, the armpit of the USA without justification. Who would ever want to go to Houston, let alone live there. Perry can have it.
people who want a job. thats who would go to Houston. People who want an affordable cost of living. thats who would go to Houston.
People who want to sweat their a** off in ungodly sweltering humidity. That's who would go to Houston.
Houston has staffed Nasa all of these years, our families have been raised with the space center, our schools visit and educate our children there every year. We watch every lift off in our classrooms. When there is a disaster, its not just national pain its personal pain. We had and still have materials being excavated from our back yards. Houston is the home of Nasa regardless of how it became to be (Thank you Johnson). Houston is an international hub as well. Drive our streets and you will realize just how well traveled this city is. As far as the weather is concerned...... stay out if you can't stand the heat. We are very proud of our great state and what we have been a part of. This history is a story for us to tell, not New York. Texas ,Florida and Alabama............
[Yuck] beats freezing your a** of in an unemployment line.
Just perhaps with a shuttle, ignorant Yankees would get over their anal-cranial inversion and visit a great city they missed. I grew up close to Johnson Space Center, and, when I was young, knew where each of the Apollo astronuats lived. Some of the smartest people in this country have worked in Houston to make this nation proud. Come play golf in January sometime, while idiotic northerners are whining about slogging their way to a crowded workplace. Houston IS the history of NASA. The counter-argument is like saying that the Statue of Liberty should be moved to Battery Park because it is too hard to reach by boat. History is sometimes contextual – I would think that some of you self-important (and self-deluded) smarties back East would have picked up on that.
Hot Damn marc!!! nicely done!
Send Enterprise to Starfleet Command in San Francisco...oh...wait. Honestly, why move Enterprise from the Smithsonian and put another one in its place. Those shuttles are at least as big as a 787, and you can't exactly fly them there. Just give Houston Apollo 11, or one of the Mercury Rockets.
actually thats exactly how they move them.. they put them on the back of a specially modified Boeing 747 and fly them there.
Jason K, it seems that you don't know much about what you are talking about. Houston already has a Mercury capsule. It also has an entire Saturn V rocket and moon rocks from the Apollo program that you can touch. Regarding flying them around, someone already answered that you were wrong on that one, too.
The Smithsonian is the premier museum in the country. It deserves a shuttle that actually flew into Space. The Enterprise does not fit that description.
Texas voted Republican...end of story. Not right or fair. Just the facts.
I'm all over the comment about the Statue of Liberty in Omaha. What would be wrong with that?
Put it next to The London bridge in lake Havasu Arizona.
We don't need all that fancy space technology in Texas. We just need our bibles and our governor to tell us to pray.
Maybe he can pray for a shuttle?
Seriously though, if you want to reject science- you can't complain when science rejects you.
First off, I think most of us in Texas are trying to figure out how Perry keeps getting elected. I think if a decent Dem ever ran, they'd win. Many of us (especially transplants like me) don't even like him. Secondly, to make a blanket statement that Texas reject science shows your ignorance. Do you even know how many science and technology companies are headquartered here? Do you have any idea of the research being conducted in the state? No, obviously you just quote the ignorance that you've been fed by liberal media and celebrities. Maybe you should try gaining a little first hand knowledge of your own before you make a blanket comment about any group of people. I think that makes you a bigot.
A decent Democrat did run. His name was Bill White. Perry would refuse to debate him because he knew that it would make him look bad. So he avoided White and let the rural population of Texas keep re-electing him. It's why Perry is dropping in the polls now. Because he has done poorly in the debates (and he's full of it).
There is absolutely no reason that the California Science Center in Los Angeles and the Intrepid Air Museum should have a shuttle – they have no connection to the program whatsoever. I can see the California Science Center being more worthy of having it, to atleast provide a west coast presence, but the Intrepid? Whatever.....I am 3 hrs from Houston, yet if I want to see a shuttle I either have to go to the west coast or the east coast....nothing in between. That was crappy on the part of NASA
The shuttles were all built by Rockwell, in Palmdale California. The shuttle Enterprise was flight tested at Edwards AFB. A good percentage of the shuttles landed at Edwards AFB too. Edwards AFB is in... wait for it... southern CALIFORNIA! Still think California has no connection to the shuttle program?
As for NY. True, there isn't much connection to the shuttle program specifically. But NY and the Intrepid have a strong connection to the early space program. A lot of Apollo hardware was built at Grumman just outside NYC and the Intrepid was used as a splashdown recovery ship.
The Intrepid already has another obsolete example of 20th Century aviation; one of the Concordes. Seems fitting and consistent, that they also get a shuttle; though only the prototype that never flew in space.
Also shutle wings up to the middle or late 1980s were built in NY at the Grumman Plant 5.
You can't be serious right? You do understand that Edwards AFB (located in Southern California) is the alternate landing pad for the shuttle when Florida weather prevented landings right? I know for a fact the shuttle landed at Edwards 3 or 4 times in the last 7 years. California has every right to have a shuttle. I do agree with you about New York.
Why put a shuttle in California? Last time I checked, ALL were built in Palmdale CA by the Space Systems Division of Rockwell International (now Boeing). Please!!! Every space junkie knows that!
All of the shuttles were built in Palmdale Califormia. They were tested in California. Many of the Orbiters landed in California. NASA built a Shuttle launch pad in California (never used after the loss of Challenger) . California has a significant connection to the Shuttle program.
The shuttles were essentially born in California. Palmdale a city in Los Angeles County. LA is indeed deserving of a shuttle since its the people of that area that brought the shuttle to life.
While originally i was upset that Houston did not get a space shuttle. I realized i was more upset with the fact that the U.S.A has been reduced to hitching a ride on a russian rocket to get into space. Do you know how hard it is to stick your thumb out while wearing a spacesuit?
I personally find it highly ironic that so many Republicans are freaking out over the plan to rely on the private aerospace industry to hurry up & get profitable infrastructure in place to get our astronauts into near-earth orbit operations. Instead of the government aerospace industry. Don't you guys preach that private industry should do everything like it was written in the bible?
Saint Louis should get a shuttle. They could hang it from the Arch and when the wind blew real hard it would look like it was flying!
lol, it would look like a giant christmas tree ornament!!!
And sell the idea to Hallmark!
LOLL
You guys that are making ignorant comments about Houston,need a reality check.Like it or not,NASA IS HERE IN HOUSTON and draws millions of spectators.And for those of you saying we have "no appreciation" for NASA,how does it feel to speak for millions of people??? Putting a shuttle anywhere but Houston would be like the statue of liberty right in the middle of a po-dunk town that's a speck on the map of the US.And btw,Houston IS set apart from all of the other major cities in the US because we HAVE a population of over 4 million and yet we DO NOT cater only to the rich and famous.Houston is like a state of it's own,made up of many races,nationalities and so on.Those of you downing this city,obviously are lying saying you have visited it.smdh.
NASA is in Houston now but if they can't get something flying soon they might have to downsize!
NY has plans for a multi million dollar museum in the parking lot next to the bagel store to put the shuttle in. We all know who will pay for that, the taxpayer. Not to mention to build anything in NY takes 10+years before they even start. In all likelihood no one will see it for 20 years and what it will cost to get into the museum is unknown (see 9/11 memorial for perfect example of this kind of planning). What a great plan (farce), right up there with the Olympics!
nope, the museum would. facts r rly cool, u shd totally look them up b4 opening ur bunghole
Houston always had a problem.
What the H is the control center doing in Houston anyways when the whole launch facility was at Cape Canaveral?
Ol' Lyndon pork-barreled that one.
.
Actually it was done that way on purpose so that the russians couldnt take out the whole space program with a single NUKE. lol
You answered, correctly, your own question. Its was LBJ.
those asses in new york and the d.c. division of nasa probably said "houston got pieces of columbia and challenger, so thats enough for them." the selection process was a joke, but in a couple of years you wont be able to see enterprise, because it'll be covered in filth.
Well what about Wright-Patterson AFB Air and Space Museum? They didnt get one shuttle. If not for the Wright Brothers, there wouldn't be a fricking NASA program at all.
NEW YORK has no connection to the space program? Where the hell does he think spaceships, moon landers etc.. were built? Grumman – located on Long Island NEW YORK 40 miles from the intrepid built half this crap! Look at the history of the program. The air and space museum in Uniondale NY – Mitchel field – go to http://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/airfields/mitchel.html – for more info only has air and spacecraft built on Long Island on display. They have some very interesting space exhibits.
The parts came from all over the country, so upon your thinking, any city in the country that happened to manufacture a part should be eligible for a space shuttle. They were assembled in Palmdale, CA, so should Palmdale get one? No. But sure as heck, Houston should get one since the original plans for a space cargo ship (Space Shuttle) were developed there and they were NASA's control center for every single shuttle mission for 30 years. It's shameful, especially now that the so called "museum" has renigged on the placement they bid with. That's breach of contract.
Actually I believe most of the design work for the shuttle happened at Marshall Space Flight Center, no where near Houston.
According to the research I've done, it was jointly developed by Johnson and Marshall, so you'd be half right, I'd be half right. Either way, Houston wasn't just a place where a part was built.
For 30 million, couldn't houston just build a model of the shuttle? It's not like the enterprise was ever in orbit and you don't get to go inside it – you only get to look at it and walk around it.
Actually what those angry Texans fail to mention is that they are scheduled to get the space shuttle replica Explorer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Explorer), a full scale mock up currently at Cape Canaveral. So they won't be left empty handed. And I fail to see the nitpicking of Enterprise vs. Explorer. Actually Explorer may be better as a museum piece since you can go inside.
You're right, TAK. But I think the probem is more that they weren't even really under consideration at all for one of the originals. Houson has been vested in the space program since the very beginning, and to be left out was a bit of an insult.
Alright, I can agree with that. Houston was deserving. But so were the other sites and there were only 4 shuttles left to go around. Someone was going to be disappointed. What I, and many others, find distasteful is Houston's childish reaction, acting like they were more deserving than anyone else. None of the other losing cities/museums is acting this way.
NYC doesn't smell? Have you ever been in a subway or cab?
Actually Texas is an ideal place. they can convert it to run on solar power or electricity, then use it to shuttle illegals across the border into the US, playing in-shuttle movies about the history of our country.
Why not.....It seems as though NOBODY CARES about them sneaking into this country...so why not bring them in style.....
You probably pay 5 grand to live in a shoebox sized apartment in NYC and live without a car. Oh but freedom to eat any type of food your heart desires at 5 am. Bravo. Houston is really jealous...
The city is NOT New York, so while you may not appreciate Texas you should refrain from making those ignorant statements. I've lived in both cities, and they are outstanding on their own accord.
Chicago should get a shuttle. Then, when people are marveling over it, they can ponder the parallels between the expanse of Outer Space, and the space in Obama's head... Perfect city.
Oh look. Someone making a disrespectful comment about the President of the United States in an article which has nothing to do with politics... and what would seem to be in defense of a city which was called racist. I'm just so totally convinced that Houston is a great place now!
You may not agree with the man, but please respect the office. At least those who disagreed with Bush pretty much kept to criticizing his policies, decisions, and speeches. If you're going to bring politics up everywhere you go, please do the same.
Too true! Houston is a smoggy, flat, monotonous sprawl of disoraganized urban overdevelopment. It's smoggy, it stinks, but the people that live there act like it's paradise if you say anything bad about it. Yes. I have been there more than a few times. And ony because I had to.
So what if Mission Control is there. None of the Shuttles were ever built there, tested there, launched from there or landed there. It's a glorified radio station that could have built in any number of nicer and more tourist friendly location, but it wasn't. Instead they chose the $hithole that is Houston.
The astronauts were trained in Texas, at the Johnson Space Center, Johnson Space Center is more than a "glorified radio station". It's a simlilar to college campus with several acres of office and large warehouses that support NASA and the shuttle program. Also, it's home ot Space Center Houston where grade-school kid in Houston has visited at least once for a field trip. There's already several space artifacts and hardware at the museum here.
Keep the hatred for others, city or state off the web.
You sound like your from Dallas!!!!
What we have is a high demand for a limited resource. There are only four shuttles, and dozens of museums are interested in them. Placements at the Kennedy Space Center and the Smithsonian are obvious. That leaves two. Placing them in America's largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, makes sense to me.
Let Texas have the pieces left over from the Columbia disaster. Perry can have a prayer rally where everyone prays that all the pieces will magically reassemble. And when it doesn't work, they can all blame godless liberals. But at least they'll have a shuttle. Well.....part of one anyway.
You do realize that Houston has been a Blue city for over two decades, and the mayor is an openly gay woman. Perry doesn't speak for all of us.
Yay for Houston. It still doesn't qualify as a place known for as any kind of a tourist destination for very good reason. They chose locations that people will SEE the Shuttle because tourists already visit those places.
I'm not commenting on where the shuttles should or deserve to be located. Only on your ridiculous "blame godless liberals" comment or the magical Perry prayer rallies. Perry gets reelected each year, not because of urban cities like Houston, but because of the rural communities throughout the state.
I'm simply saying that when you spew silly venom and insults out of your mouth (or keyboard) you sound just as ignorant as the Republicans you seem to hate so much. And before you accuse me of something, no I am not Republican. It's sad to see you lump together a multicultural city (and one of the most ethnically diverse) with a population of over 4 million together into a bunch of liberal hating rednecks. I'm certainly not one, and I'm not alone in that.
Chach – I've I've posted elsewhere, Houston is in the top 15 cities in the US in terms of attracting tourists, so, while NY may attract more, you are wrong in that people don't go to Houston.
Texas should definitely get a shuttle.
Fuck New York and their asshole New Yorkers!
awesome post!
Mmmm, and evidently Texans are rude, foul mouthed and sore losers also..
and still more polite than New Yorkers!!!! lol
Well, I'm from Houston, and I think Dirty Joe is an asshole too. I love New York, and the people there have nothing to do with this, so why blame them.
I thought this story was about Whitney not being able to get from New York to DC due to her recent airline mishap.....your story....much more interesting!
One of these shuttles would look amazing in my living room...
It goes to show how ignorant some Texans really are. New York has no connection to the space program, huh? Go tell that to the men and women who designed, built, and tested the lunar module at Grumman Aerospace Corporation in Bethpage, NY.
yes, but that was back in the 1960's whe new Yorkers didn't have contempt for space/science spending. the proof of that is the shuttle is being placed next to a car wash and a bagel shop. Please don't try to pass off a ploy that new Yorkers care about space and science, you don't. so go back to your political activism and leave sober scientific to the rest of the country. Also, two of the shuttles were lost due to design flaws, nice work new York. what else can you do?
The Challenger did not explode because of a design flaw, it was because it was being flown in unsafe weather conditions. In other words, it was human error.
And considering the original estimate was that one in 30 launches would fail, the shuttle program didn't do too bad, especially considering that the first one was due to human error.
Actually, it wasn't just the weather but the weather played a part. It was bad O-rings in the solid rocket booster.
Get u a lunar module then.
Why not send a shuttle to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas? I know it doesn't have the lustre of NY or LA, but it is a large museum dedicated to space exploration and history.
I have lived in DC, NYC and Houston TX. I can safely say that the people of Houston, TX have no appreciation for the technological marvel of the Space shuttle. Barring a few people such as scientists and engineers, most people in Texas (AKA Cow-Town) do not care about technology. We have our goats, hogs, pigs and cows to keep us entertained in Cow-Town!
What an Idiot.. Obviously you've never lived in TX if you believe it's all about goats, hogs, pigs and cows ..
By your comments, I'd be willing to bet you've never even been to Houston, much less ever lived there. It's a huge, cosmopolitan, urban city of over 4 million people. Fourth largest city in the country by population (probably soon to be third over Chicago). I'd be willing to bet there are only a handful of cows within a 40 mile radius of downtown Houston.
I can say there are cows at the Johnson Space Center. Saw them this summer when I was there. 🙂
Nope, no cows or any other livestock anywhere near houston proper. If you saw "a cow", it may have been on that large acerage near Nasa1 toward League City. But that is 27 miles from downtown. If you want to see "CATTLE", it's West of Fort Worth headed to Amarillo. Next time you have your fast food burger, remember that. It is probably where the beef was produced.
Cows atr JSC - Yes! See this from a NASA site:
"The Longhorn Project was launched on February 5, 1997. The project brought longhorn cattle to the grounds of JSC, enabling students to learn about livestock and agricultural issues."
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/directors/index.html
OR from July at Science Friday:
"Texas' iconic longhorn cattle grazes near the Johnson Space Center "
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201107082
Not sure what you're talking about. I was raised in Houston and every year my school went to the Johnson Space Center. We loved the space program. It's a huge draw for tourists as well.
Mogu,
Some pretty ignorant comments made about Texas; Houstonians having "no appreciation for the technical marvel of the shuttle, entertained by livestock and the "Cow-Town" nickname.
Even if you were a Houstonian, how do you know the general consenus of a metroplex of 4 million? I am not sure on how one would measure the appreciate of such a unique artifact. Did you ever visit the Johnson Space Center are known about Houston's role in NASA? Houston is home to Mission Control, astronaut training, a full fledged international space station, and a Astro( nauts) baseball team.
If you had lived in Houston, then surely you would have known that Cow-Town is the nickname of Fort Worth, not Houston, only a mere 250 miles away.
Clearly he is a Texas-poser
Ignore this stupid troll. Obvioulsy he knows nothing and is dumb enough to call himself "Mogu". What a dope.
Heffer.
I'll take it!
I see that I have hit a nerve here. But, unfortunately the truth hurts. Compared to Northerners, Texas are indeed very crass. Somebody commeted that I am a Texas poser – I wish that were true. I would sure like to get out of horrible stench that is permeating through Houston Galleria area. I trust, it is because of Houston's horrible sewer system.
I live in TX and I would love to be able to just drive a few hours to see a space shuttle, however if you see how JSC treats it's assets I think NASA was right in not giving them anything. Just go check what they have done with one of the massive Saturn V left from the Moon program.
That mighty rocket is rotting laying on the ground, exposed to the elements, just next to the similar deteriorating Mercury and Gemini.
Intrepid will actually make an effort to preserve the Enterprise, not just park it next to a service road.
Actually, Paul G, that's not entirely true. The Saturn 5 on display at JSC has been restored and a protective building has been constructed around it with climate control. I do agree with you, however, that it is not properly displayed at JSC. I was there a week ago and the grounds are in horrible condition. The protective building is no more than a very large metal garage. It looks like something you'd see in China, not the USA. It's embarrassing to see as a Houstonian.
The Saturn V at JSC was outside, but is in its own building. I saw it there last year and this year. When I saw the Saturn V at KSC years ago it was outside, don't know if it still is. The Saturn V at MSFC was outside (saw in in '85), don't know if it still is.
I live about an hours' drive from the Kennedy Space Center, and allow me to be the first to tell you that the folks at KSC moved their Saturn V from outside the VAB to a climate controlled building that's been on part of the basic KSC tour for over a decade now. I know; I've been there many a time.
New York, the home of Grumman Aerospace – the designers and builders of the Lunar Modules that brought 12 men to the moon's surface and saved three astronauts from certain death – doesn't have a Saturn V rocket like the one at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Suck it up Texans.
Very good point.
Where to put a space shuttle? IN ORBIT.
Best response, hands down!
At 500 million a launch? They were getting old, and a cheaper alternative needed to be implemented.
Still waiting on that alternative, however.
They should have left one of the operational ones attached to the Space Station as sort of a lifeboat, if nothing else. They could also take it out for satellite repair or cleaning up the ungodly amount of space junk orbiting the earth. I know the Space Station already has a lifeboat. Doesn't it?
The real crime here is that we don't have a replacement ready to burn.
We have them,you just don't know about them...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37
One of them should have gone to the Air Force museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.
New York has no business having a Shuttle, neither does Los Angeles.
I've no objection to Los Angeles getting a shuttle because the Johnson Space Center is there, plus it's not far from the Air Force bases where many NASA astronauts did their pilot training (and LA is a lot easier to get to than those places for the average tourist). It makes more sense than New York.
Johnson Space Center is in Houston, TX.
I agree. If JSC wasn't going to get one, I think Wright-Patterson is a much better place for it than in NY with the Intrepid.
LA was the place where all but one of the space shuttles were primarily built. But all were finalized in LA. Edwards airforce base was the site for testing and as an alternate landing for Florida during bad weather, which was nearly half of all landing. JPL/Caltech are currently doing innovative things with interplanetary expeditions.
There's a reason why LA scored the highest in the competition.
The fact that you probably don't know this to make such an ignorant statement is all the more reason that LA deserves a shuttle to educate about the enormous role LA had in the space program.
The air force museum in Dayton, Ohio should have got one. They are better equipped and have more air and space on display than anywhere else in the US.
Ohio doesn't have the long term financial resources to sustain a shuttle. The Wright-Patterson is a fine museum and probably has more below ground than above in terms of its rather colorful collection. However, Wright-Patterson is largely federally funded – if federal funding dries up that's it. I am a descendent of a settler of Ohio and I am from Michigan, however, I am a realist, Texas has the long term financial ability to provide not only a home for a shuttle but the resources to build a beautiful pavilion for it without one dime of federal aid. Texas donors are very, very wealthy and have deep pockets. There is no comparison period. The wealth that comes from the oil and gas industry here has created generations of wealth that will last well into the 30th century little alone the 21st or 22nd. There are many, many stories to support my assertions. Cities must depend upon private donors. Were it not for Charles Stewart Mott poor Flint, Michigan would be a complete desert right now. His legacy from General Motors stock has sustained Flint Public Schools through the harshest winters of discontent.
Shuttles should go to places where they have the largest impact in terms of numbers of people who will get to see them, considering the American public are the ones who helped buy and fund their operation.
Houston should have gotten a shutle. The entire atronaut core is located here, and it is a very close community that has endured a lot of trajedy during the shuttle program. It is not about tourism. It is about respect.
Actually, its about education and to prior posters points, not many people travel to Houston.
If this was about respect then the President should return the respect his office get from Texas by every staff member taking a dump in a box and mailing it to representatives of Texas and their constituents.
JBC – Houston is in the top 15 tourist destinations in the US, btw. So there are quite a few people that do go to Houston.
Everybody keeps rationalizing this by saying "Houston is in the top 15..." So what? NYC is #1 on that list, and if Houston is close to 15, that still makes NYC the better place in terms of the argument that more people will see it there.
read more closely....Houston is one of the top 15 places to NOT go.....along with Southeast DC and South Central LA
Houston should have gotten the Enterprise, at the least. What is the necessity of putting both the Enterprise and Discovery in close proximity within 200 miles? There is life outside the East Coast.
"There is life outside the East Coast."
Not nearly as much as might think, at least not until you get all the way to the west coast. Sorry, but the goal was to put the shuttles close to where the greatest number of people would see them. Houston just isn't a tourist capital, and never will be.
If we want to put a shuttle where the most people can see it why not Mexico City? Oh wait, it would need to be in Houston for Mexican citizens to see it. Nevermind.
“No city in the world deserves an orbiter more than Houston, Texas,”
Other than Cape Canaveral, FL. You know, where they used to launch from?
JBC – "“No city in the world deserves an orbiter more than Houston, Texas,” Other than Cape Canaveral, FL. You know, where they used to launch from?" - Did you read the entire article? "Atlantis will stay in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center"
Yes. I know.
I was simply commenting on the quote.
FL doesn't deserve it more but I'd agree they both deserve it equally.
For whatever it's worth, I think it would have made sense to have transferred the "Enterprise" from the NASM to Edwards where it was tested, and have the other three orbiters at the NASM, KSC & JSC. Neverthe less, it's my understanding, based on what I've read about this over the past year, that the main reason JSC didn't get one of the orbiters was that the folks at JSC evidently had a strong sense of entitlement along the lines of "We're the center that controlled the orbiters from the second they cleared the launch tower at KSC to the moment of 'All wheels stop.', so why should we bother making an offer for one of the obiters when we clearly deserve one?"
...how 'bout Dryden Flight Research Center??? Where it was first tested and landed for years before finally landing at KSC. BTW, the parachute that slows the Shuttle for a KSC landing was also tested at Dryden.
When JSC is shut down, there is no point for a shuttle to be standing there. Why have a Manned Operations Center if we no longer have manned space flights? ISS is due to deorbit, sooner or later.
Yeah, it is due to deorbit sooner or later... but shouldn't we finish building the thing before we talk about shutting down it's support facilities?
Yes, the current space station will eventually come down, or be renovated or replaced. But space exploration will continue. And JSC will continue to be the heart of the operation.
When that day comes, JSC will remain as a memorial to a far-off time when America actually had vision and initiative.
You raise a very relevant point.