NASA Faces Political Backlash Over Final Shuttle Landings

NASA's space shuttles are not going into quiet retirement in Washington, Florida, New York and Los Angeles. Instead, NASA is facing a backlash from disappointed lawmakers from Texas, Ohio and Oklahoma. See http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110413/NEWS02/104130327/Not-everyone-s-happy-Bolden-s-space-shuttle-announcement and http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7518917.html


NASA suggests that it made awards to Los Angeles and New York based on the number of tourists that visit those areas, but irate Republican lawmakers claim that Democratic politics was behind the decision. Texas, Ohio and Oklahoma trend Republican. In contrast, New York and California trend Democratic. As proof of a political motive, these lawmakers note that the Space Program has a greater connection to the Johnson Space Center and the Air Force museum than either New York or the Los Angeles area.