There are forests in Texas?Quote:
two national forests
There are forests in Texas?Quote:
two national forests
Sorry, but most of us New Yorkers mean no disrespect to the Great State of Texas. We did not make the decision and can understand why your upset. We feel that it will make more impact at the Intrepid that in Houston. The one thing that I can say is that every Man and Woman who knows someone that works or worked for NASA holds their head a little higher than most others. It is all about being a small part of something that kids dreams are made of, something that is larger than life itself. This distribution of these few artifacts of the American space program would have created some grumbling of some sort no matter what the result. I am sorry that you guys are not getting a Shuttle but feel we would be crazy not to ask for one. I personally feel that the Shuttle at the Intrepid will cause a HUGE influx of visitors from the largest School District in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,600 separate schools alone... Every one of theses students are within 1 hour day trip of visiting our history. With a U.S. Aircraft Carrier, Submarine, British Built Concorde and some very unique aircraft, this latest edition is allowing the Intrepid to add to a recently started Space exhibit. Yes, There has been an incredible support system in Texas for our Space program, it surely was not as important as Operations in Florida and lacks the research achieved in California, NASA was not going to get most of them with notification of distribution to Museums. What was important was that where ever they went that it would have to make the most impact. I feel the decision was a no brainier for NY as it will reach the eyes of more school children then anywhere else in the U.S. and with more visitors visiting the NYC area, this will allow more viewing than in Houston. I know people on many Photography forums and when they come to the U.S. they visit NY more than any other place... Second is CA and never had seen one post about going to Texas. When your in the U.S. The Big destinations are N.Y., Florida, CA with many others but those are the main places that people want to visit if they do not have family and are going "out of their element" If I lived in Texas I too would be upset being all that Houston has done.
It is been a while since I have been to the "Great State of Texas" but I hope to return next year...
Texas has just about everything geography and nature has to offer sans a volcano. Islands, beaches, deserts, mountains, plains, canyons, rivers, bayous, ocean, lakes, forests....Quote:
Originally Posted by fk6065
Really never knew Texas had forests, interesting I always thought it was more flat open land. Interesting, in all the pictures I have ever seen from or of Texas I've never seen one with a forest. Guess you learn something everyday.
It is really like a country....The best part is when you Texas Size a Long Island Iced Tea.... They bring out what looks like a 1 gallon fish bowl for like $5!!!! I have the a great amount of respect for the Great State of Texas.
Texas has the following national forests:
-Sam Houston
-Sabine
-Davy Crockett
-Angelina
Only the very southeast and panhandle are flat, really. Then there's a whole area called Hill Country (with lots of hills, obviously) and Big Bend, with lots of mountains, chasms, hills, canyons...and very little in the way of towns in that region. It's an amazing place.
Had one myself about a month back...don't remember much after that :-)Quote:
The best part is when you Texas Size a Long Island Iced Tea.... They bring out what looks like a 1 gallon fish bowl for like $5!!!!
Don't forget one of the best creations since sliced bread...chicken fried steak with gravey! Tomball is home to one so good it made the Travel Channel's top 101 places to eat in America, called Goodson's Cafe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Derf
All that, and you want a shuttle too? That's just being greedy! :biggrin:Quote:
Originally Posted by Perriwen
Now you really need to stop. Most New Yorkers will look at you like your smoking crack for that one.... but Yes, Chicken Fried Steak is awesome, I just am not allowed to admit that North of South Carolina. It is just bad form.Quote:
Originally Posted by Perriwen
OK Moose, but their Chinese food and Pizza suck.... but man do they have some Serious Steaks!Quote:
Originally Posted by moose135
There's that famous 72-ouncer in Amarillo...you start seeing signs for it as far back as Arkansas! Finish it in less than an hour and it's free!Quote:
Originally Posted by Derf
Oh, also....Bar-B-Que. Can't forget that! Especially beef ribs and baked potatoes stuffed with chopped beef. I worked in a BBQ restaurant for about a year, and everyone from up north just had their jaws drop when they see the size of a Texas stuffed potato.
Like I said...it has been a while since I have been to Texas. How the hell could I forget Bar-B-Que, Best ribs I ever did have! I never tried the Texas stuffed potato. Now if YOUR bragging about it, I know I have not lived yet! MMMmmmmm I am still mothwatering over the sauce from the Chicken Fried Steak. YOUR MEAN! How could you do this too me! Just plain wrong!
Phil, can you ban him or somthin????
I stop at the Big Texan when I head west. You have to also finish a huge shrimp coctail, salad, potato and bread. I was going to try it but that steak is huge and it's market price if you fail so you can easily drop a hundz. I get a smaller steak the food is so awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Perriwen
YES! That's just great. Can't wait to see it.
Back on topic....
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/20...um-14Apr11.htm
Looks like Chuck Schumer wants it flown into SWF when it gets here!!:eek: How is SWF for spotting? That might allow the possibility to open the airport up for the arrival if it could be coordinated?
I know spotting of ground ops at SWF is pretty easy, not sure about takeoffs and arrivals.Quote:
Originally Posted by ch2tdriver
An SWF arrival would be nice for folks up north, but it would be a lot more work than landing at JFK. They would have to truck it at least 6 miles from the airport to the Hudson, whereas they could load it onto a barge right at JFK.
Not to mention they have a MUCH LONGER runway at JFKQuote:
Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
The FAA Airport Diagram puts SWF's longest runway at 11,817 feet. If you can't get a 747 stopped in that distance, even with a space shuttle on top, you have bigger problems then runway length. Oh, and at Dulles, where they have already landed the SCA/Enterprise combo, the longest runway is 11,500 feet. By my math, that is shorter than Stewart's runway...Quote:
Originally Posted by NLovis
I dug out the 2010 NASA RFI on Shuttle placement. It says:
Quote:
Air ferry of Orbiters by Shuttle Carrier Aircraft would require U. S. destination airports to have 8,000 to 10,000 feet runways depending on the altitude and atmospheric temperature of the landing site, and the final weight of the Orbiters being delivered.
Oh man Schumer just pwned Houston! He said as soon as all the international travelers start saying "I can't wait till my trip to Houston" Houston can have the shuttle until then it's staying in NY! HAHA That was rude.
Yea well some idiots up in Albany are trying to send Enterprise AWAY from NY stating they dont want it here. Can you mane any more of an idiotic statement? Who doesnt want a shuttle? If that bill they are making up makes it and we lose Enterprise there will be alot of angry folks around here.Quote:
Originally Posted by NIKV69
Considering Texas is now starting to boycott NYC until that worthless SOB apologizes for insulting Texas, either way there will be unhappy people. Now to mention ignorant SOB...some places in Houston are such an international hot spot that a PASSPORT is a primary form of ID over a driver's license.
At least NYC is getting a shuttle that never actually WENT into space. Enterprise is more of a glorified mock up that did a couple glides.
Whatever you have to tell yourself to feel better...of course, if Enterprise went to Houston, you would be singing a different tune.Quote:
Originally Posted by Perriwen
Yes AND no. Houston deserves something more than a couple seats and a full-scale glider certainly is more than a couple of seats. But, yes, New York got the short stick out of Oribters. Enterprise never had working engines, never had a heat shield, and never was capable of space flight from the start. So, you aren't getting a REAL shuttle as people seem to be singing, you're getting an early design and precursor TO the shuttle. I should also point out, having three shuttles on the east coast will cost the Intrepid visitors. Why go to the Intrepid to see a shuttle that never flew in space when a few short hours away is the real deal, Discovery, that actually flew into space and orbited the earth more than any other spacecraft, along with the Apollo 11 module that flew the first people who walked on the moon? Right in the same location.
Here's something to chew on. If the 'amount of people who will see it' and 'more people come to New York' is really a factor as claimed, how come New York didn't get one of the Apollo CSMs? A component of the Saturn V? A Gemini capsule, heck, even a Mercury Capsule? None of those are to be found in the state of New York, yet Houston has one of each capsule plus a whole Saturn V which was slated to be used for one of the Apollo missions. Does New York think it deserves those too, simply because 'more people will see it'? Or because 'the LEM was made in New York'? I don't know of any Apollo relics in New York save one unused LEM, so I don't see why people suddenly think that people will come from all over the world to see a 'spacecraft' that never actually went into space when NASA didn't think there was enough interest for a space craft that actually flew people to the moon and back! Even KENTUCKY got a Apollo CSM, and a famous one at that. With all the claims that people want to come to New York instead of Houston, and that 'the space program belongs to all of America', New York certainly lacks space memorabilia, and I don't know of any that it currently has that actually went INTO space. /rant.
Bottomline, if NASA didn't think a spacecraft that flew man to the moon and back would draw enough people in New York, if they didn't think one of the spacecraft that lifted man first into space would draw enough people, then I can fairly predict a space shuttle prototype won't do it either, despite the momentary hype.
On that note, people in New York are already crying about getting the 'fake shuttle'. And you talk about Houston being upset...
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011...tation-shuttle
http://gothamist.com/2011/04/13/intrepid_3.php
After Houston's role in space, I must say that I feel that they were robbed and that NYC doesn't deserve one for the most part. I feel that the only reason it (and probably LA) did get one was because of the amount of people that go through these cities, giving access to see and enjoy said shuttles.
I am EMBARRASSED by the reactions of New Yorkers that say we got a "fake" shuttle. It's humiliating. I know that the people that say those things are Yankee fans. ;)
The Intrepid's role in space was VERY minimal. It picked up a some astronauts out of the sea during Apollo and has one mockup lunar module on display. For a place that has "space" in their name, they really don't have any space stuff. I'd also like to mention that even the Intrepid's SR-71 Blackbird is not even an SR-71. It's the A-12 trainer.
I'm also REALLY excited to see how much the Intrepid jacks up their already overpriced tickets.
With that Enterprise can hardly be called a mockup. I was actually a big fan of Enterprise for a long time, as I would watch the landing test videos which are among my favorite shuttle clips. The aircraft played a major role in its development. Check it out bouncing down the runway...
I can't believe they launched a mockup off of a 747 and let it land on its own like that! haha
Technically, you could call it a semi-functional mock-up. It never actually COULD fly into space without being completely being dismantled, and then re-assembled. It had no engines, no heat shield, the design wasn't correct for the final shuttle, not to mention I don't think it even had functional payload bay. All it could really do is glide, and you just need moving control surfaces for that. It was a 'space shuttle', but at the same time it wasn't really a space shuttle.
Then again, too, I grew up with the shuttle (born in 1986), so it was always natural to me. Literally, I grew up WITH the shuttle. In Louisiana is this small, unassuming town called Slidell where I grew up. Lil railroad town near New Orleans...but that was shuttle country. Just down from the street where I grew up, for a long time, was one of NASA's computer facilities. 30 minutes one way, in New Orleans, was the Lockheed facility where they built the big, orange external fuel tanks, coated them with foam, and shipped them via barge right to the VAB in Florida. 30 minutes the other way was the Stennis Space Center where they test fired every shuttle main engine before each flight. So...next time you see a shuttle launch, remember this small Louisiana town you probably never heard of, because a good chunk of the nameless people who helped keep it flying live there. Believe me..when something affected the shuttle like Columbia or Challenger, it was a BIG deal in the community since so many neighbors worked on it. Even now, they're a bit skiddish from what I hear, since so many jobs hang on the fate of Constellation.