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Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:38 am
by WildBill
A letter was recently delivered to Charles Bolden, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration requesting that the Johnson Space Center in Houston have one of the retired orbiters. This letter was signed by numerous Texas legislators. Current plans are to display the shuttle Atlantis at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/edi ... 13904.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:24 pm
by sugar land dave
I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:33 pm
by WildBill
sugar land dave wrote:I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.
I believe that one is alreadly slated for the Smithsonian and another for the National Museum of the Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. I would think that the Kennedy Space Center in Florida would also like to have one.

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:53 pm
by sugar land dave
WildBill wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.
I believe that one is alreadly slated for the Smithsonian and another for the National Museum of the Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. I would think that the Kennedy Space Center in Florida would also like to have one.
We have more voters than Florida and Ohio..... ;-)

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:11 pm
by b322da
sugar land dave wrote:
WildBill wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.
I believe that one is alreadly slated for the Smithsonian and another for the National Museum of the Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. I would think that the Kennedy Space Center in Florida would also like to have one.[/quotWe have more voters than Florida and Ohio..... ;-)
But the thing is, Dave, the current administration knows that our people vote for the wrong people, and the number of voters in Texas has nothing to do with the electoral college votes Florida and Ohio have. They are very important "swing" states, something Texas has not been for a long time.

Elmo

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:26 pm
by Ameer
sugar land dave wrote:We have more voters than Florida and Ohio..... ;-)
It's a retired shuttle and more retired people go to Florida. :biggrinjester:

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:39 pm
by WildBill
b322da wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:
WildBill wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.
I believe that one is alreadly slated for the Smithsonian and another for the National Museum of the Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. I would think that the Kennedy Space Center in Florida would also like to have one.[/quotWe have more voters than Florida and Ohio..... ;-)
But the thing is, Dave, the current administration knows that our people vote for the wrong people, and the number of voters in Texas has nothing to do with the electoral college votes Florida and Ohio have. They are very important "swing" states, something Texas has not been for a long time. Elmo
I am sure that politics enter into the decision, but Ohio is where Sen John Glenn, retired astronaut was born. The only reason the NASA - Johnson Space Center ended up in Houston was because of the politicking of LBJ.

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:19 pm
by sugar land dave
b322da wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:
WildBill wrote:
sugar land dave wrote:I think it is only natural for the NASA exhibition to have one. There are 3 left I believe.
I believe that one is alreadly slated for the Smithsonian and another for the National Museum of the Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. I would think that the Kennedy Space Center in Florida would also like to have one.[/quotWe have more voters than Florida and Ohio..... ;-)
But the thing is, Dave, the current administration knows that our people vote for the wrong people, and the number of voters in Texas has nothing to do with the electoral college votes Florida and Ohio have. They are very important "swing" states, something Texas has not been for a long time.

Elmo
But Texas just picked up 4 more electoral votes in the 2010 census, and Florida gained just 2 as the runner-up. Surely someone in politics must love us.....

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:29 pm
by b322da
sugar land dave wrote: But Texas just picked up 4 more electoral votes in the 2010 census, and Florida gained just 2 as the runner-up. Surely someone in politics must love us.....
Understood, Dave, but we can't lose sight of the fact that we expect the retired shuttles will most likely be placed on display by NASA under the instructions of NASA's boss, the President. If all stays on schedule this decision will be made before 2012, and the President we will have, at least until 2012, and perhaps longer, has realistically given up on Texas. He knows where Texas's 4 new electoral votes are going. Why fight it and pour his campaign funds into a black hole? He just commenced his reelection campaign. Do you see a local campaign headquarters in Sugar Land? :roll:

Our respected colleague started this off reporting on the Houston Chronicle printing a letter to the director of NASA recommending that one of the retired shuttles go to Houston. Not only was lhe letter naively addressed to the wrong person, but I counted 36 or so signatures at the bottom of the letter, all national elected officials from Texas. Of those some 36, only 4 were Democrats.

Elmo

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:09 pm
by philip964
We are the wrong color state. I suspect Houston will get shut out, unless the Smithsonian gives us the Enterprise.

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:45 am
by The Annoyed Man
philip964 wrote:We are the wrong color state. I suspect Houston will get shut out, unless the Smithsonian gives us the Enterprise.
I'd take the Enterprise over a mere shuttle orbiter any day. Beam me up Scotty! :smilelol5:

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:32 pm
by WildBill
Tulsa is also trying to get a space shuttle. NASA plans to announce Tuesday where the four existing space shuttles will wind up after the fleet is retired this summer.

Discovery, has already been promised to the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. But in return, NASA will take back the Enterprise, a shuttle prototype that is already on display at the museum. That leaves Enterprise, Atlantis and Endeavour looking for places to retire.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... TLIN425348" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:10 pm
by b322da
WildBill wrote:Tulsa is also trying to get a space shuttle. NASA plans to announce Tuesday where the four existing space shuttles will wind up after the fleet is retired this summer.

Discovery, has already been promised to the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. But in return, NASA will take back the Enterprise, a shuttle prototype that is already on display at the museum. That leaves Enterprise, Atlantis and Endeavour looking for places to retire.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... TLIN425348" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Bill,

Contrary to what could easily be inferred from my earlier posts on this subject, I have alway been in favor of one of the retired shuttles coming to the LBJ Space Center to honor what has been done there. I must say, however, that I do not feel as strongly about this since my last visit to Disneyland Houston. :oops:

Elmo

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:56 pm
by WildBill
It was announced today that the Space Shuttle Endeavor will going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... uttle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Houston Wants Retired Shuttle Orbiter

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:34 pm
by i8godzilla
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/ ... les-homes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Discovery - National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center just outside Washington, D.C.
Endeavour - California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Atlantis - Kennedy Space Center
Enterprise - will be moved to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York

Looks like TX lost out to NY or CA depending on how you look at it. Most of the shuttle was built in CA. They all launched from KSC. The National Air and Space Museum is just that! In NY, with the USS Intrepid? Wish I knew the reasoning...................