Tuesday, April 12, 2011

THE SPACECRAFT HAS APPARENTLY BEEN TAKEN OVER – "CONQUERED" IF YOU WILL – BY A MASTER RACE OF GIANT SPACE ANTS. IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT WHETHER THEY WILL CONSUME THE CAPTIVE EARTHMEN OR MERELY ENSLAVE THEM. ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN. THERE IS NO STOPPING THEM; THE ANTS WILL SOON BE HERE: NASA has announced today -- the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch (and the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's first manned space flight) -- that its retired Space Shuttle fleet will be displayed permanently as follows:
  • The Enterprise test orbiter moves from the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in NYC.
  • Discovery goes to Udvar-Hazy. 
  • Endeavour to the California Science Center in LA.
  • Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be parked at the Kennedy Space Center.
Among the cities dissed and pissed? Chicago, which at least will get the shuttle flight simulator; Houston, home of the Johnson Space Center; Seattle, which wanted one for its Museum of Flight; and Dayton, home of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.