No Shuttle for you.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

I'm furious. If there were four Shuttles to go around, the first three should have gone to the Smithsonian, Cape Canaveral, and Houston, in that order. Then the rest of the country could squabble over the fourth.

WASHINGTON, DC -

Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02) and Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) were joined by other members of the Texas Delegation in sending a letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden requesting an explanation for why he is sending a retired shuttle orbiter to New York City instead of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

On Tuesday, NASA announced that it will send retired shuttle orbiters to New York, California, Florida and Virginia. Houston, the center of space exploration, was denied a shuttle. This letter requests answers to pointed questions to figure out the logic behind the decision.

"The first word spoken on the moon landing was ‘Houston', not New York City," said Rep. Poe.

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=14447057

New York City????!!!!
http://youtu.be/mSxnieYctVM

[The Philosopher]

1. Doesn't the Space Center

have one there already? I went when I was 13 so I can't remember correctly. But we definitely deserve one, considering it's the home of NASA.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

2. Nope, just a mockup.

http://www.spacecenter.org/schoolvisitsexhibits.html

[efhmc]

3. Makes sense for one to be at NASA, but when did anything

makes sense around here?

[thanks_imjustlurking]

5. The big talking point around here

is that the administration did not want to send it to a Republican state. But Florida is Repub, though not *quite* as crazy as us. And to put two of them so close as DC and NY. I'm just totally baffled. I do know it's a slap in the face.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

6. Dupe, stupid computer. nt

[sonias]

4. they got chairs instead

SciGuy blog Houston Chronicle 4/12/11
Instead of a shuttle Houston gets ... seats

Sure Houston may be the home to human spaceflight, may have managed the space shuttle program, may have controlled the flights and trained the astronauts ... but that wasn't enough to get a retired orbiter for display.

But not to worry, NASA has a wonderful consolation prize for the community.

We're getting -- are you ready for it? -- flight deck pilot and commander seats.

:shrug:

I'm pretty sad about it too. I can't find the link for the story I read yesterday but it essentially said that the Texas delegation had lost clout - even though the Rs have control of the U.S. House - the Texas Rs are all such prima donas that they couldn't even get it together to make a solid pitch for Houston.

Kind of reminds me of Michael McCaul blowing the 3,000 job contract BAE Systems lost in Sealy because he couldn't even be bothered to make a pitch for it. These Rs are so full of their own self entitlement. :mad:

[thanks_imjustlurking]

7. That's sad. And *now* they're all howling, when it's probably too late.

Of course, whether we got a shuttle shouldn't have had anything to do with politics. We should just have got it.

[Sailing]

8. No, Texas does NOT deserve a shuttle

Those shuttles were only a third of the way through their serviceable lifespan and had many years of use left in them. "W" did everything possible to kill the program in his "privatize everything" lunacy and succeeded where NASA was concerned. Nope. Texas does not deserve a shuttle.

[urbuddha]

9. I agree with, Sailing.

Agreed.
Sailing, you hit the nail on the head.

[efhmc]

10. Well the children of Texas do.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

11. W is not Texas.

The people of Texas, who are disenfranchised by electronic voting and gerrymandering are.

[Sailing]

12. Save it!

It is the 60% of registered voters that didn't bother to vote last November that are "the people of Texas". It is the democrats in my precinct, other than the 3 of us that showed up to my precinct convention last spring, that are "the people of Texas".

[thanks_imjustlurking]

13. I agree with you, but that doesn't mean I like you personally,

Edited: I just don't. Ugh.

[Sailing]

14. Well, since your profile...

shows you to be in San Diego, California, I have to assume that your original post is just meant to get people here riled up.

[BrightKnight]

15. It wound make sense to have it with the rest of the collection

in Houston. I don't see how this polarized political BS is helpful.