This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
Shuttle News

Houston Still Wants A Shuttle

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
February 14, 2012
Filed under ,

Houston-area members of Congress again press NASA on awarding Enterprise to NYC, Houston Chronicle
“Nine Texas Republicans led by Rep. Pete Olson, whose Sugar Land district includes JSC, are challenging NASA administrator Charles Bolden once again on virtually every aspect of NASA’s decision to move the Enterprise from a Smithsonian facility outside the nation’s capital to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.”
NASA Has Given Enterprise to New York’s TBD Final Location, earlier post

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

20 responses to “Houston Still Wants A Shuttle”

  1. Rusty says:
    0
    0

    Grow up you bunch of big babies!  The fact the LBJ hijacked NASA and forced them to build JSC in Houston instead of KSC was completely political and did not add any value to the system since the entire launch operations systems were held in FL.  Come on, do you really think that made any sense???  I didn’t hear you complain then but now that a shuttle is awarded to NYC where more visitors will see it many times over than in Houston, you want to whine and cry politcs???   Get over yourselves and just be thankful you had ownership of a piece of the pie for all those years.

    • fly_boy says:
      0
      0

      The politics behind LBJ’s choice to put JSC in Houston rather than Florida has nothing to do with putting a shuttle in Houston or not. It’s not as if Florida isn’t getting one (and of course they should). The fact is JSC has been here for decades and has put in more than enough work into the shuttle program to justify putting a shuttle in Houston.

      • nasa817 says:
        0
        0

        JSC does not deserve a Shuttle due to Columbia.  They lost her and the crew because they (mis)managed the program and the foam damage to the orbiter was clearly an integration issue for which they were (ir)responsible.  They also blew the opportunity to respond appropriately and try to mount a rescue.  MSFC doesn’t deserve a Shuttle due to Challenger.  They were clearly responsible for losing her and the crew since the SRBs were their design responsibility and they blew the call on launching that day in spite of being keenly aware of the issue.  So you see, JSC and MSFC had their Shuttles and lost them both (and their crews), and they destroyed NASA human space flight as a result.

        I have no issues with the locations decided for the Shuttles.  Given the difficulty in choices, they did a good job.  Although one thing I am sure of, they were not as cynical or vindictive in their reasons as I have been.  But I lived the pain through both of those accidents and I will never forgive those responsible.

  2. npng says:
    0
    0

    The solution to the problem is right in front of you on the NASA Watch website, at the top of this page. Simply go to PROACH Models at  http://www.spacemodel.com and request a 1:1 Shuttle scale model.  Then everyone will have a Shuttle.

    • LennyCoan says:
      0
      0

       JSC is getting a full scale Shuttle model from KSC as soon as they can afford the shipping cost. The full scale Shuttle will sit outside just as it did at KSC which is a good thing since JSC could not afford a building to house a Shuttle; they really could not afford the shipping. The JSC visitors center does such a poor job its really not worth putting a lot of effort into the place.

  3. James Lowery says:
    0
    0

    So the HOME of the Shuttle Program, HOME of the Astronauts, HOME of Mission Control, HOME of Astronaut training….doesn’t deserve a Shuttle?? WRONG! 

    • Grandpa_Dave says:
      0
      0

      Most of the boneheads that read this blog have never worked for the Aerospace Industry, but they are all experts … or legends in their own minds.

      Mercury, Gemini, Skylab, Apollo are a few of old grandpa’s paths …
      Houston was not on Obama’s short list for a retired space shuttle.

  4. Nassau Goi says:
    0
    0

    Talk about welfare and entitlement. The boneheads at MSFC and JSC centers destroyed Challenger and Columbia via the bonehead decisions they allowed that not only destroyed those vehicles but many lives. Such a waste of time and money dealing with this.

    • retired_geek says:
      0
      0

       “The boneheads at MSFC and JSC centers destroyed Challenger…”

      Should KSC be added to your list?  I seem to remember that’s where they launched Challenger from…

      • nasa817 says:
        0
        0

        Read the Roger’s Commission Report on the Challenger Accident.  They had design responsibility for the SRBs and it was their responsibility on launch day to tell the launch director it was not OK to launch.  But they told him it was OK to launch even though they had mounds of evidence that all but assured that the o-rings would fail to seat properly under those conditions knowing full well what the consequences would be if they didn’t seat.  MSFC destroyed the Challenger and killed seven astronuats, negligent homicide.  I would say that qualifies as bonehead.

    • Rodney Phillips says:
      0
      0

       As one of the boneheads from MSFC I invite you to come on over and share some of your vast spaceflight expertise with us.  We certainly could use your help.

  5. Stephen431 says:
    0
    0

    I was at JSC visitors center over the holidays. The amount of product placement in that place is suffocating. They show more advertising at that place than they have exhibits. 
    If JSC gets a Shuttle, they’ll just paint a giant “Webster, TX” tourism advertisement on the side of it. It’ll be covered with more logos than NASCAR. 

    • retired_geek says:
      0
      0

       Stephen, I agree with you, took the grandsons there a f years ago and the biggest display in the house was construsted from / sponsored by Lego.

      However, this most recent push on the part of Congress is really nothing more than an election year ploy.  I have little use for President Obama or his NASA Administrator, but this one is pretty easy to see through.

      Maybe the next time they want to construct a mock-up they could use retired politicians from both sides of the aisle instead of Lego blocks – just be sure to apply a good layer of “clear coat” so the “local vermin” would not be attracted. 

      • GentleGiant says:
        0
        0

        How is this an election year ploy?  Shuttle or not, New York is almost certainly going to go for Obama.  Shuttle or not Texas is likely to not go for Obama.  In both cases the margin of victory is not going to be dependent on the presence or absence of the shuttle.

      • Stephen431 says:
        0
        0

        I don’t really think this had any presidential politics involved or Ohio would have gotten a shuttle (and Wright-Patt was lobbying for one). 

        KSC and JSC each got Saturn V’s. KSC built an awesome exhibit around it. JSC let it rust in a field for 25 years between a parking lot and a cow pasture until it deteriorated to the point they had to solicit money to restore and build a warehouse around it. 

        I’m not exaggerating about what a poor experience there is at JSC’s visitor’s center. It’s a downright depressing place. They’ve even stopped touring the Neutral Buoyancy Lab & Mission Control unless you buy a special $100 level 9 tour.   

        Houston was just planning to stick the Shuttle outside somewhere, so they’re get the Explorer shuttle mock-up which was designed to sit outside. 

  6. ASFalcon13 says:
    0
    0

    I’m a Texan, and here’s my idea:
    Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour: no change.
    Enterprise: instead of New York…no, not Houston…Seattle.  In turn, Houston gets the trainer that Seattle was going to get.
    And New York gets…well…nothing.  DC’s a few hours drive away.

    This does a few things:
    – The Museum of Flight already put their money where their mouth is and built a facility to house an orbiter.  None of this temporary housing bull while New York tries to get rights to build on a parking lot.
    – This arrangement puts a shuttle at each corner of the United States, for maximum geographic coverage, rather than bunching two right next door to each other in the Northeast.
    – JSC’s contribution during STS operations included mission control and astronaut training.  You can still tour Bldg. 30, and the full fuselage trainer would highlight the training role.

    Of course, I understand that the wheels are already in motion, and it’s rather unlikely that NASA’s going to halt everything and start over just because I made a post on NASA Watch.  This is just the way I would have allocated things.

  7. Dewey Vanderhoff says:
    0
    0

    Is there anything more pitiful than a Texan whose big ego has been bruised ?

    Texas got a shuttle. Columbia.  ( Some assembly required )

  8. mfwright says:
    0
    0

    I wish Texans had this kind of passion to keep the Shuttle operational until another manned spacecraft became operational. Horse left the barn and the barn is gone.

  9. Gonzo_Skeptic says:
    0
    0

    The remaining Shuttles were awarded to locations where tourists go.  This makes sense.

    The only reason Mission Control was located in Houston was LBJ.  Period.  There was no other good reason to pick that city.  None.

    I”ve been to Houston in the summer.  It’s brutally hot with near-lethal humidity.  Very few tourists are going to spend their hard earned money purposely going there.  Parking a Shuttle there isn’t going to change that.