i can't believe how upset i am about this

How does Houston not get a space shuttle? I can't even begin to comprehend. Every astronaut that has ever been in a space shuttle has lived in Houston, Texas. I just cannot even believe it. I hear it's basically a personal diss to our state for being Republican and therefore useless to our President. Well, maybe he forgets that there are Democrats in our state too. Or maybe he just forgot that Mission Control is in Houston; that the International Space Station is run from Houston; that we train our astronaut corps in Houston; and that it's Houston that brings the astronauts home safely.

I don't think LA or New York deserves this in the least. Where's the history and the context that would make the exhibit truly unique? It's in Houston. Sorry if you don't like the color of our state, Mr. President. But you could at least respect the Johnson Space Center for its invaluble role in promoting human space flight.

"Obviously, I am extremely disappointed that NASA did not select Houston to house one of the retired shuttle orbiters, despite the fact that the space shuttle program's history is inextricably linked to Johnson Space Center. Throughout its 30-year history, the program has been managed in Houston, each mission has been controlled by the talented professionals at Mission Control, and astronauts who have flown on shuttles have been trained and lived in the community. NASA's current human space flight mission, the International Space Station, was completed using the shuttle fleet and is also managed at Johnson Space Center. It is unthinkable that the home of human space flight would not represent the ideal home for a retired orbiter. I specifically asked NASA Administrator Bolden to follow the law, which stipulates priority should be given to communities with strong historical ties to NASA, and in particular the shuttle program."

-- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas)

"We are heartbroken to learn of the decision that the space shuttle will not be allowed to return home to Houston. Home is where the heart is, and Houston has served as the heart of the space shuttle program since its inception nearly four decades ago. All the astronauts lost were Houston residents. We again share a collective loss as a result of the political decision to send the space shuttle elsewhere. We had prayed that the incredible sacrifices this community has endured would have allowed the shuttle's legacy to continue here. Although we disagree with this decision, we will persevere in our support of space exploration, just as we have done in the past."

-- Evelyn Husband Thompson, Jonathan Clark, Sandy Anderson, Lorna Onizuka, Cheryl McNair, family members of the Columbia and Challenger astronauts