Home of the Space Program Snubbed by NASA

The photo below was taken at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum annex at Dulles Airport in Virginia. That's the Space Shuttle Enterprise behind us, the test ship that was used in the initial glide tests but was never flown in orbit. It will soon be replaced by Discovery, one of three operational Shuttles now being retired. Enterprise will be shipped to New York where it will be displayed on the floating museum and former aircraft carrier Intrepid.

Homes have been found for the other two operational Shuttles as well. Atlantis will stay at Cape Canaveral in Florida, and Endeavor will be coming to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

But what about Houston, the home of our manned space program? What are they getting?

Nothing. Nada. Bupkis. And they're not too happy:

Houston will have to settle for shuttle flight deck commander and pilot seats, an outcome about as impressive as winning one of those knockoffs of William Shatner's captain's chair on the Starship Enterprise marketed on eBay.

Local critics immediately accused NASA's Bolden of kowtowing to the pressure of presidential politics in the allocation of the shuttles. Houston Mayor Annise Parker spoke for many of us in saying, "I am disappointed for Houston, the JSC family and the survivors of the Columbia and Challenger missions who paid the ultimate price for the advancement of space exploration. There was no other city with our history of human space flight or more deserving of a retiring orbiter. It is unfortunate that political calculations have prevailed in the final decision."

That political charge was repeated by members of the Texas congressional delegation. On the other hand, unsuccessful bidders for a shuttle included institutions from President Barack Obama's adopted hometown, Chicago, Ill., and Dayton, Ohio, a key political swing state.

California and New York are solidly Democratic and it's unlikely many votes will be influenced there by NASA's decision. That said, we believe Texas' red-state status did play a role in Houston's failure to land a shuttle. We think it was the wrong call.

Bolden, a former astronaut and Clear Lake resident, earlier opined that if he were not head of the space agency, he would personally favor sending a shuttle to Houston. According to the administrator, the museums chosen "provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments" of the shuttle program.

That's a plausible rationale, but not one sufficient to disregard the central role Houston has played in the shuttle's triumphs and tragedies.

Houston became the home of NASA thanks largely to Lyndon Johnson who was the Senate Majority Leader and a Senator from Texas at the time those decisions were made in the 50's. He continued to support the space program as Vice President and President. Houston had friends in high political places in the 50's and 60's. They don't have that clout today - Texas is a red state.  Had Bush been president when these decisions were made, I think they would have gotten one of the orbiters.

Houston is where all the astronauts from Mercury on have lived, and where the tragedies in the space program hit the hardest. From the moment the spacecraft cleared the launch tower they were controlled from Houston.  Sending a Shuttle to Los Angeles really doesn't make much sense in terms of the history of the space program.  Yes, a lot of space equipment was built in the L.A. area, but Houston was a lot more logical home for Endeavor.