From the article:
He awarded the shuttles using a point system that gave no points for connection to space despite its inclusion in the law. But gave 20 percent of all points to international access -- meaning how many international tourists could see the shuttle. That's nowhere in the law.
"He essentially said, 'I care more about foreign tourists than I do about the community who built the shuttle,'" said Rep. Olsen.
Even though we specifically asked why, NASA didn't answer. And on the one chance we had to ask Bolden about it, he pushed us back to Space Center Houston.
"Go back to the folks at home and ask them what they got from their debrief," said Bolden.
They told us they didn't get answers either. In fact, Space Center Houston was never asked how many international visitors they get and two of the winning sites -- New York and California -- don't even record where visitors are from.
NASA awarded points based on the fact that foreigners come to Orlando, New York City and Los Angeles. Space Center Houston says they were never told 10 percent of points would be given for museum accreditation and that they would've gotten it if necessary.
And when it comes to the risk of transporting the shuttle, Houston lost points too. Apparently NASA thinks driving a shuttle eight miles down the road from Kennedy Space Center is just as easy as flying it 1,100 miles to New York City and ferrying it another 14 miles.
Foreigners deciding where the American space administration will distribute American spacecraft in America. Brilliant.