It sucks there won't be one in Houston, but at the same time I have to laugh a little when people complain about politics playing a part. If it weren't for politics, there would be no JSC.
I worked at NASA/JSC for a few years (on the Shuttle no less) and I have to say... I really don't care where they park those things.
We all know this, but that shouldn't cancel out everything JSC has accomplished over the last 50 years since the decision was made. I guess the apathy in this thread is one of the main reasons we didn't get it.
I guess you mean if it weren't for politics the JSC might not be located in Houston. I agree that politics probably played a huge role in deciding where the JSC was located and where the Shuttles would end up, but there were some major differences in what should have been considered in these decisions. The JSC could have been located anywhere, and I think just about any City could have made an argument for it being located in their location. One City or state didn't really have a more compelling reason for acquiring The JSC than another. However, in regard to the Shuttles, I believe Houston had a very compelling argument as to why a shuttle should be located at the JSC. Sometimes politics should take a backseat to what is right, and I think this is one of those occasions.
Looks like the 3rd one is going to NY instead of Ohio. http://nasawatch.com/archives/2011/...t+(NASA+Watch)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
If one of those Houston leaders was Sheila Lee Jackson, then I say we blame her. I imagine if I were a congressman, and I saw SLJ in support of something, I would feel strongly compelled to join the other side. THANKS A LOT SHEILA LEE!
You know what's funny is that if Tom Delay was still in office I guarantee there's a shuttle in Houston. For all his faults (and I truly despise the man) he was NASA's biggest lobbyist in Houston and once he left office JSC's biggest political link disappeared.