Texas Is Engaged in Congressional Shuttle Rustling
Congressional Shuttle Rustling
Keith’s note: Instigated by Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn from Texas, Congress is moving ahead with a plan to take Space Shuttle Discovery (which has been deeded by law from the U.S. Government to the Smithsonian) and send it to Texas. The Smithsonian’s Udvar Hazy facility is for all Americans to visit their aviation and space history. According to this website (https://keeptheshuttle.org/) that has popped up “We will not let that happen. Join us, if you believe that Discovery and all of the Smithsonian’s priceless artifacts should be protected from political maneuvering.”
One response to “Texas Is Engaged in Congressional Shuttle Rustling”
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I remember when the disposition of the remaining shuttles was being decided, Texas and Houston were so sure they should get shuttles by default that they just didn’t participate in the selection process. Wayne Hale’s blog post is still available. There was some political lip service and a few weakly worded letters to NASA, but no plan or proposal, no budget, no commitment to the responsibility of preserving a space shuttle for future generations. In short Texas and Houston felt entitled to a shuttle, but they did nothing to deserve one.
They still got Independence, which in my opinion is the best of the set to visit. It’s not a “real” shuttle but it’s also the only one the public can see the inside of. The flight deck and mid deck are set up as much as possible as they would be for a mission and the cargo bay, carrier aircraft, and the access building host a museum of artifacts from the program.