BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR MARK YZAGUIRRE:
Houstonians were generally disappointed when it was determined that the Johnson Space Center would not receive one of the retired space shuttles, now that the space shuttle program has been discontinued. Instead, the remaining shuttle orbiters and the Enterprise test vehicle will be housed in California, New York, Florida and Washington DC. Houston political leaders complained about this decision and an investigation occurred into the decision-making process. This investigation determined that the decision was not a political one. However, it did state that Charlie Bolden, the chief administrator of NASA, did not believe that a city's ties, or lack thereof, to the shuttle program or NASA should be considerations in whether to house the retired shuttles in that city.
Let's be blunt - such criteria tipped the scales against Houston. As stated in a Houston Chronicle article written by Eric Berger:
That decision set NASA on the path toward awarding its now-grounded fleet of orbiters to institutions in Washington, D.C., New York, Florida and California... "I think the story here is that Houston was deliberately and intentionally denied the shuttle by Administrator Bolden," said Denis Braham, chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership's NASA Task Force. "There's no other way to read that report." It was not clear exactly why Bolden chose to change the rules of evaluating the 21 proposals submitted by institutions to NASA, but in the end he prioritized putting the orbiters in high-tourism locations.
Admittedly, Houston is not a major tourism center. This is a city where people come to make their fortunes, not to spend their summer vacations. But to prioritize tourism over history is ridiculous. The space shuttle program was an important step in the history of American space exploration and that history is inextricably tied to the city of Houston. Historical context matters and ignoring that context shows a disregard for the cultural ties a given artifact has to its location. Under this logic, perhaps we should move the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Disney World, since more tourists could see it there. Thanks for nothing, Charlie.