Houston Gets Lame Space Shuttle Replica Delivered In Lamest Way Possible (Red State Punished?)

Jalopnik ^ | June 1, 2012 | By Matt Hardigree

[DogByte6RER]

Houston Gets Lame Space Shuttle Replica Delivered In Lamest Way Possible

The deliveries of the real Space Shuttles to their final resting places were grand events that created amazing images. Houston, which deserved a real d@mn shuttle, is getting a replica.

And just in case Houstonians didn't know they were getting shortchanged, it was delivered on a plane but instead on a d@mn barge. Thanks, NASA.

I'm not going to get into all the reasons why Houston didn't get a Space Shuttle as it might be mistaken as saying someone else doesn't deserve one. Clearly, both D.C. and Los Angeles have good reasons to get one. NYC doesn't, and has thus offended me as a Texan and a Houstonian and I will loudly remind them of that fact whenever I get the chance.

Instead of a real shuttle Houston is getting a replica called Explorer that will be fitted with a real-ish interior so kids can go crawling through it. It makes perfect sense to transport the replica from Kennedy in Florida to Houston via the ocean, but it still stings.

The first word on the moon may have been "Houston," but the last word on Houston's shuttle copy is sadly "barge."

[Terry Mross]

I never knew the sitting president owns all the space shuttles and he could give them to anyone he wanted. Did Chucky Schumer call him up and say “Can we have a space shuttle please?”

[JohnD9207]

Great solution, because we are Texans, living in Texas not Broke ass Kalifornia, or NY there is only one real solution. Hand the guy towing the barge $$$ and have him drag it back. Tell Bolden to stick it in his arse, or use it to foster better relations with the Muslims and send it to Dearborn.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Isn’t Texas flyover country according to the elites?

[Moonman62]

Large rocket parts are commonly transported by ship or barge.

[dragnet2]

“”The first word is still Houston to the public and always will be””

No, that is not accurate regardless of what the public thinks.

First word from the lunar surface were: “Contact” & “Shutdown” followed by other words below.

______________________________________________________

102:45:40 Aldrin: Contact Light.

102:45:43 Armstrong (on-board): Shutdown

102:45:44 Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.

102:45:45 Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.

102:45:46 Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.

102:45:47 Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. 413 is in.

102:45:57 Duke: We copy you down, Eagle.

102:45:58 Armstrong : Engine arm is off. Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

102:46:06 Duke: Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot.

102:46:16 Aldrin: Thank you.

[ansel12]

What I don’t get is how I retained the impression that it was Cape Kennedy until just a few years ago.

Did they switch from using the name of the Cape to the name of the facility in 1973?

“Although the name change was approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names of the Interior Department in 1964, it was not popular in Florida, especially in the neighboring city of Cape Canaveral. In 1973, the Florida Legislature passed a law restoring the former 400-year-old name, and the Board went along. The name restoration to Cape Canaveral became official on October 9, 1973”

[null and void]

Cycle the Parker valve.

[YHAOS]

"Texas should have received the one which was given to New York."

Properly, Texas should simply refuse delivery.

[ansel12]

“”The first word is still Houston to the public and always will be””

"No, that is not accurate regardless of what the public thinks."

Well yes Dragnet, I'm pretty sure that the public 'thinking' that the first word is Houston means that it is still the first word to the public, and my guess is that it will always remain so, at least as long as they think it is.

Besides, Bill Barry, NASA’s chief historian gives his position that because the checklist was part of a long-rehearsed procedural script, he is “inclined toward saying that the first ‘intentional’ words spoken on the moon were Armstrong’s report to Houston that they had landed.”

[MHGinTN]

When we have a petty little bastard commie at the head of the federal oligarchy, the lower officials degenerate rapidly into their lowest common demonimator. NASA is now a carbon crime hunter don’tchaknow. Little barry bastard must exercise his pettiness at Texas fro defying his oligarchical reign.

[TigersEye]

That might work if they used Reindeer.

[diogenes ghost]

Originally Cape Canaveral, on the south side sits Patrick AFB, which was Banana River NAS during the war. My old man was flying Catalinas out of there in '44, and I was born in neighboring Melbourne.

The area is my favorite for fishing, both in Banana River and Mosquito Lagoon. Seeing the VAB while fishing is kinda cool.

[dragnet2]

I tend to agree.

In fact, they should probably file an official protest and demand the replica be taken to NY, and they be given the Enterprise.

[tanknetter]

Texas should have received the one which was given to New York.

There were three surviving "flown" shuttles: Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. There was also Enterprise, which was structurally a shuttle (twin of Columbia) but was never converted to spaceflight capability following her use in drop tests and fit checks. Enterprise had been in the care of the Smithsonian since 1985 or so, she was the one that went up to NYC.

The Smithsonian clearly rated a shuttle; NASM by law has right of first refusal on all retired NASA hardware. So it's appropriate not only that she get a shuttle, but also get Discovery, the first amongst equals of the shuttles in terms of historic value and the one being kept as the "shuttle of record"; closest to flight-configuration (Atlantis and Endeavour are getting stripped).

KSC clearly rated a shuttle, for the obvious reasons. They're getting to keep Atlantis.

There were four other really good contenders for the remaining shuttles: LA (proximity to Edwards Air Force Base and Palmdale, where they were built), Houston (NASA Mission Control), the USAF Museum ind Dayton OH (the Shuttle started as a joint NASA/USAF effort, and the Shuttles flew a good number of classified military/NRO missions early in the program) and Evergreen in Oregon (Evergreen subcontracted to NASA for the SCAs).

Enterprise should have gone to LA, due to her being the first shuttle built (at Palmdale) and the ALT drops. Or to Evergreen where she could have been displayed atop one of the SCAs.

Atlantis should have gone to Dayton, due to her being the shuttle that flew the most DoD/NRO missions.

Endeavour should have been the one that stayed at KSC.

I have no issue with Houston's contention for a shuttle. Had one (not Enterprise tho, since she never flew and therefore had no real connection to Houston) gone there instead of Dayton or the West Coast it would have been ok with me.

The problem is that one went to NYC, and did so after NASA violated several it's own guidelines in awarding the shuttles. The Intrepid Museum, which I happen to be a big fan of, met neither the financial requirements OR the facilities requirements that NASA laid out in it's original RFP (and, apparently Houston and LA didn't meet them either ... but I digress). But Chuck Schumer wanted a shuttle (note that his office put out a press release on NYC getting Enterprise about an hour before the official announcement was made) ...

[VeniVidiVici]

[VeniVidiVici]

[tanknetter]

Houston, We Have A Problem.

These 5 words alone should signify why Houston should have a real shuttle.

Actually, those 5 words really should signify why Houston should have Odyssey, the Apollo XIII Command Module (which is currently on display at a museum in Kansas).

[rawcatslyentist]

>"I never knew the sitting president owns all the space shuttles and he could give them to anyone he wanted."

He also COMMANDS Congress into and out of recess!

[dr_lew]

It was "Contact light" by Aldrin. A few seconds later Armstrong said "Shutdown" and the engine was turned off.

The contact light came on before touchdown. There were "feelers" hanging from the legs and these indicated sufficient proximity to the surface to shut down the engine. After "Contact light," there was a slight pause and Armstrong read the landing check list, starting with "OK, engine stop," then continuing, "Modes control both auto, descent engine command overide off, engine arm off, 413 is in." 413 was a code entered into the computer to tell it they were down.

So, I always say "OK" was the first word spoken from the surface of the moon, that is mechanically supported by it. This checklist is almost always elided when the landing is replayed, even in NASA material. Norman Mailer spelled it out in his book, OF A FIRE ON THE MOON, which is where I first knew of it, and it was on a National Geographic 45 rpm record inserted in a special issue of the magazine a year or so after the event. I still have that. I'm sure it only has so many plays in it, so I guess I should put it on my Ipod, or something.

[EDINVA]

This should not surprise. Political influence and the space program aren’t exactly new to each other. LBJ used his political power to bring a space center to Houston in what was then totally Democrat Texas. No one then could have ever imagined TX would become the most Republican state (save possibly UT) in the USA.