No Shuttle for Houston (Huntington: beach, drought, fishing)

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Ah, I get it now. Texans do it so often, it goes unnoticed. Wonderful.

No, you don't get it. Clearly.

[TimBomb]

Laid back city, LOL. you know what they say about snoozing.
Whoever coined the term 'Space city' was probably refering to the abundant areas unoccupied by a mass of considerable value. Well its a good thing we did not add to that by building something to house a shuttle.

[AK123]

I hope he won't mind me doing so, but I'd like to quote a NASA engineer from Houston's JSC from another site, to give others more background on this.

...as a side note, and to clarify some of the history of Space Shuttle… Houston has indeed been the center of the design of the spacecraft from the very beginning. I am talking about the 1973 timeframe when it all began. The full integrated spacecraft avionics, that is, all the electronics, the main guidance computers, the engine interface units, the main engine controllers, all the data bus wiring, the power systems, star trackers….all of the complex systems or “guts” that make the shuttle fly…live in one central place where it all came together. That place is within one building inside JSC. It is called the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL). From the very beginning, this is where it all happened. To this day, it is the only fully integrated space shuttle testbed. It is physically the same length and size, complete with cockpit, and is always used prior to every shuttle mission to confirm that the software that fly’s the spacecraft is reliable and performs with integrity, for every mission , and before the actual launch of the real bird. In fact, all space shuttles have a vehicle number, which starts with “OV”, for “orbital vehicle”. This is the technical term for what is known as the space shuttle orbiter. And guess where the first serial number “OV” is? It is this SAIL laboratory in JSC, in Houston. In other words, it is essentially “serial No. 1”. And it is still there. I know this because I worked in that building in the 80’s and early 90’s, and it is where my wife has always worked since the 1980’s. It is essentially a space shuttle with all its skin removed, such that all the wiring and electronic “black boxes” are fully exposed for the engineers and technicians to perform work on. Obviously the engines and rockets are not there inside the building, so those 2 things are simulated, which is also another part of the SAIL laboratory. This place in JSC is where any problem that may occur on a real mission… is actually troubleshot, and solutions found. I mention this because although the orbiter of the space shuttle was manufactured in California, the true and fully integrated testing and full validation... where the critical systems were first proved, and blessed, occurred at JSC. It started in Houston in 1973, and it is still operational today.

Add to that the fact Houston is Mission Control, astronaut training and everything else, and it's very difficult to find any really good reason Houston wasn't chosen for a shuttle... aside from politics of course.

I along with many others feel the gut sinking emotion of the loss that this city has taken with not being selected as home for a retired shuttle. I am putting this politely, because in reality, I am so angry I can almost not function. This is such as huge punch in the nose for not only us who have spent most of our professional lives in the space program, but also for the city that has had its identity stepped on with the asinine decision that occurred on Tuesday. To put things more in the vernacular, there have now been around 3,000 space workers laid off in the JSC community just within the last 2 years. We have seen project cancelation after project cancelation. The losses are now weekly in this place. I myself have moved from project to project in recent years just so that I can continue to feed my family and keep a roof over their heads. And my wife… her last day after 24 years on Space Shuttle will be this July. She will be amongst the final group laid off from the Space Shuttle program. Even though, she and I still feel the pride, and understand that some things must eventually come to an end. I move from project to project without hesitation as needed because I love the space program and because I love the fact that it is a part of the great city of Houston. What I do not have any more tolerance for, however, is the steady kicks in the stomach our programs has received continuously this past 2 years. Amongst what is being allowed to be thrown away are extremely unique talented people, many of them our elders whom we are fortunate to work with, with their years of corporate knowledge of what it takes to put humans in space, and do it correctly. I will tell you that a lot of these people simply cannot be replaced… they have stored in their minds the lessons learned, their innovations, and most important their realism on what it took to design the great machines of Space Station, Space Shuttle, Apollo, and its predecessors. This knowhow can only come from having been there a long time. Yet this unofficial brain trust is steadily being thrown away. They are quickly disappearing. In the face of all this, it would have been nice for our leaders to show some compassion, to place a symbol of all this work in its rightful home. This did not occur. And so my disgust will most definitely be reflected towards those leaders, come election time.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by AK123

I hope he won't mind me doing so, but I'd like to quote a NASA engineer from Houston's JSC from another site, to give others more background on this.



Add to that the fact Houston is Mission Control, astronaut training and everything else, and it's very difficult to find any really good reason Houston wasn't chosen for a shuttle... aside from politics of course.

Exactly. Anyone who agrees with the notion that Houston doesn't deserve one is kidding themselves. Maybe us Houstonians felt we were entitled to one and the city didn't take the necessary steps and actions to bring one here, but it's a huge disrespect to make a remark like that.

That's like me contributing tons of money to a certain charity or cause and than being told I don't deserve an award or acknowledgement for my actions.

[TimBomb]

It's just a job, people. Space program people should just think that they had a good run, eventually you're back on the ground like regular people getting laid off because of downsizing, mergers and reorgs. Employers don't care, profit is the bottom line ya know. We all get burned by the man eventually, especially if you dont get with the program or just not keeping up with the times. It's about time those guys start looking at using your knowledge for more profitable defense/communication companies. Heck, you can even start looking at getting all that experience and work for the other countries in the international space station. Looks like India needs a bit of your help.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs

No, you don't get it. Clearly.

Oh, I get it. What goes around comes around, which is a lesson Texas politicians have never learned.

[TxStorm72]

People can say whatever they want about the conservative politics here in Texas. It won't change the fact that the shuttle won't be here because of payback politics, which only proves that liberal politics are no better after all.

Nobody seems to know how to push politics and grudges aside to do what should be done.

Once a playground, always a playground......

[RCH99]

Originally Posted by TxStorm72

People can say whatever they want about the conservative politics here in Texas. It won't change the fact that the shuttle won't be here because of payback politics, which only proves that liberal politics are no better after all.

Nobody seems to know how to push politics and grudges aside to do what should be done.

Once a playground, always a playground......

Spot on

[Queen Palm]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

This has little to do with Texas pride or chest pounding; not everything in Texas has to do with us being prideful. I'm more upset at the fact Houston isn't getting anything, but losing things. You'd think Houston would be getting something out of this whole ordeal.

Anyways, as I've said before; Texas has its priorities in all the wrong places. Focusing on cutting education,enforcing anti-abortion laws, trying to alter textbooks and more. How the hell will any of that bull**** help us as a state grow and prosper.

I hope it's not pride. It's certainly not something that I want to consider to be the case. But just keeping a realistic, open mind. I too, would think that Houston would get more out of this than just a Captain's chair and pilot seat. It wreaks of spite, gross disregard, and a slap-in-the-face.

Whatever Texas' priorities are, none have to do with the decisions made for it to not receive one of the shuttles.

[Queen Palm]

Originally Posted by RocketSci

I don't know if this was posted somewhere on this board, but please read the opinion of Houstonian Wayne Hale, head of the Space Shuttle Program after the Columbia accident.

Why Houston Did Not Get A Shuttle | Wayne Hale's Blog Wayne Hale

i'm tired of hearing the "entitilement" argument. NYC is one of the most elitist, entitlement mentality of the cities chosen. LOL

The entitlement argument and the belief that Houston "didn't deserve" it is just an excuse that's been leveled at the city because folks simply did NOT want an orbitor to be here. I see/heard the arguments that the proposals weren't "well-planned". If we had a dynamic plan of the facility to display a shuttle (and that may come) we still wouldn't have gotten it because someone or some peoples are spiteful of the city. (Don't ask me why, it's just something that I sense).

Spite doesn't have to have a logical reason. It's simply resentment. Resentment has kept alot of opportunities from taking shape. And that is something that I perceive is laced right now in Washington.


What I've seen is people's desire to omit JSC/Houston's involvement with NASA and the space program. Spite has people simply trying to re-write history because it's Houston.