In a twist of cosmic irony, the Johnson Space Center in Houston --- the operational home of the nation's space shuttle fleet --- is once again drawing attention to its shuttle program, even though it never got a retired shuttle of its own.
Texans cried out in protest back in 2011 when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the final homes for the four remaining space shuttles and Houston wasn't one of them.
Space Shuttle Enterprise was given to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, while Shuttle Discovery was assigned to the Udvar-Hazy Center, the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, Shuttle Atlantis went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Shuttle Endeavor was gifted to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Space Center Houston, the visitor center for Johnson Space Center, will instead receive a mock-up of a space shuttle, part of a $12 million attraction slated to open in two years that may end up exciting more young visitors about the shuttle program than the real orbiters will ever be able to do again.
That's because, unlike at the other sites where people can view the real shuttles from a safe distance, visitors in Houston will be able to climb aboard the faux shuttle as well as the Boeing 747 shuttle transporter the replica will be sitting atop.
But, even before all of that hands-on excitement, this coming Thursday, July 4, the space center will launch a naming contest for the mock-up, in which contestants will be asked to submit an original name symbolizes the "unique characteristics of independence, optimism and can-do attitude" associated with the state of Texas, an official media release said.
Starting Independence Day, full contest details will be available at www.nametheshuttle.com.
The contest is planned to close Sept. 2, with the winner announced sometime in mid-September.
Robert Pearlman, editor of the website www.collectspace.com, the largest online community and news site for space history enthusiasts, told the Houston Chronicle the new shuttle experience will truly be a big deal
"It's the top question that they get at other museums - 'Can I go inside?' and you can't," said Pearlman, who's visited all four cities where the original orbiters are housed. "Space Center Houston has always been a hands-on place, sharing and educating about space.
Pearlman suggested the naming contest will be an important way to get Texans involved in the development of the shuttle replica and the future display.
Despite the lingering hard feelings over the original orbiters, Houston's shuttle display will prove a genuine " tribute to the space shuttle program," he said.