Great shot, AniMajik!
flashback - 21 September 2012 04:14 PM
I lived in Houston for many years and visited the Space Center several times.
I’m pretty pissed off that NONE of the Shuttles have a home where they were born. California? Ney York?!
niccipb - 21 September 2012 07:08 PM
Actually, all of the shuttles were built from the ground up at the Rockwell plant in Downey, CA and assembled at the Rockwell facilities in Palmdale, CA right next to Edwards AFB.
Yup, not to minimize the iconic roles of Houston and Florida, but California was her birthplace. If it helps, I would’ve picked Houston over DC.
I’ve heard their sonic booms here, as they were coming down 300 miles North of their alternate landing site.
(We don’t go far enough South to give as much equatorial-spin boost as Florida can, and, like Texas, too much land around).
I’ve watched plenty of footage of these piggybacks, as they went back to work in Florida, but this time she was coming home.
Photos - Space Shuttle Endeavour Construction. Rockwell Facility in Downey, Rockwell Palmdale, a chunk from General Dynamics (San Diego, Ca.), And, just to rub it in 
, her vertical tail section came from Fairchild, New York (5th picture). To throw in some more pretty pix Building Space Shuttle Discovery
California is resplendent with aerospace industry. We’re responsible for quite literally tons of satellites, experiments, museum pieces, and space junk. Not to mention a fair amount of their electronic goodies from Silicon Valley. A brother-in-law worked swing shifts at Aerojet, Rancho Cordova. I’ve heard a lot of their rocket motors & engines being tested (I mean really, really heard them).
They had the decency not to test them before an air raid siren drill. (Anyone remember those, like, what are you going to do, really?).
DC… 
JFK started the moon shot program, but the rest of them just kept NASA constantly scrapping plans & projects and starting over again, as they were bickered over the relatively small (for Fed spending) budget, and what this year’s NASA priorities were.
New York… I dunno… tourists?
In a sense, financially speaking, Texas, New York, and California also contributed by being among the states who pay out substantially more federal tax than they get back (I don’t remember if Florida is in that group, offhand). We could use some of that money to ameliorate the pollution from most of the country’s imports being freighted through our smog-trapping valleys
Meanwhile, I’m pissed that the news was no help in spotting her, as she passed me twice, in the process doing a U-turn past & over downtown. The only clue was “coming down I-5”, but she might’ve passed by then. It’s possible that she was behind the treetops (I’m in some older ‘burbs, in the “City of Trees”). The I’m way too Southward of downtown for their comments, and telephoto shots to do any good. 
I should’ve been on the roof, but there was no one to call 911 if my declining sense of balance betrayed me. And the trees are well above rooftop level. My budget wouldn’t let me stay overnight at that tall downtown hotel (the name escapes me, but it’s pricey). I should’ve told the budget to bleep off.
This time I didn’t even get to hear anything.
{voice of Lewis Black}: Running up to the porch (for the TV), [gritted teeth] and back to the front yard, [beat] like an idiot, while oblivious neighbors wondered what the hell my problem was. All I saw was a high-flying jumbo jet… with a red tail!. 
As I try to console myself… At least I was physically closer than I’ve been before…. and I did get to see one docked to the ISS, as a little dot through the light pollution, when the news was good for something, once. 
niccipb - 21 September 2012 07:08 PM
Most all of them are gone now, but the childhood memories of seeing the giant rockets on display in front of the buildings and the various sections and parts being moved around I will never forget.
geez…. did I just date myself… 
I don’t know, actually. I’m old enough to know if you dated yourself, if I’d had the chance to get out more… to see some of those things, before it was too late. California history seems to be a disposable commodity.
Uh, I mean, that’s pretty awesome…
Man, I’m feeling all, like, regionalistic now. 
But I’d never mess with Texas, flashback. (A few friends and relatives back and forth).
