Okay, SERIOUSLY people - STOP IT WITH THE TREES!

YES, the California Science Center is uprooting about 400 trees along the 12 mile route from LAX to Exposition Park where Endeavour will spend the rest of its life. But they are re-planting more than twice that after the fact. News media is hyping this like crazy - to what end, I don't know, and they always miss the last part - THEY'RE REPLANTING MORE THAN 800 TREES WHEN THEY ARE DONE!

Understand what's going on here:

First off, it's only a 78' swatch down three major streets in the greater L.A. area, so they're not running into parks or apartment complexes to uproot random trees all across L.A.. Most of what will be cut down or removed are trees that reside in the MEDIAN OF THE STREET - surely you don't propose that these are great trees for shade, recreation, and having a nap under - at best, they dampen some sound. I have also learned that several areas along the route are sue to be construction zones soon, and many of these trees were to be uprooted anyway. Additionally, the city of Inglewood is not in favor of keeping the species that is currently planted, and when the trees are replaced, they will be replaced with a different species. I have heard that only 10% of the trees being uprooted are actually being destroyed. Take a look at the route, seriously, there's three major streets that this thing is traveling down, and all three of them at some point have a median that has trees planted in it - all but maybe 5-6 trees are relatively small, and relatively young anyway - it's really not as big a deal as news sources seem to be making it out to be.

Dis-assembly of the shuttle is prohibited by the terms laid out by NASA in the acquisition process of the disused Shuttles. It would also be nearly impossible to reassemble the Shuttle once it is taken apart, and ensure its structural stability for the rest of its life. When I was at the California Science Center, they said that they intend for the permanent installment of the Shuttle to be structurally sound for the next 250 years. It is the responsibility of the organization awarded the Shuttle to arrange for transportation and storage - which has to be environmentally controlled - which, for example, is why Enterprise, on the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York is in a blow-up cocoon rather than just being out in the open - even though it is a temporary storage location. The same is true with Endeavour at the California Science Center; a temporary shelter was constructed from the ground-up, at considerable expense, which is to be climate controlled--which is expensive; it protects the orbiter from rain, and sun. And when the final display facility is constructed, and Endeavour is moved to that location, there will have to be sacrifices made there as well. Endeavour is going to be displayed in its launch configuration with two Shuttle SRBs that have already been moved from Florida to Edwards AFB for temporary storage, and an External Tank that the science center is going to have made specifically for display purposes (probably with some interior space for displays or education).

From the California Science Center's website regarding dis-assembly:

"Is Endeavour going to be moved from Lax to the Science Center in one piece?

"Yes, we want Endeavour to be as close as possible to its post-flight condition immediately following touchdown from its last mission. Removing either the wings or the tail would destroy the protective tiles on the vehicle as these are very fragile. Even if the tiles could be removed and replaced, NASA cannot safely separate and reattach the wings or the tail without the infrastructure that is provided in the orbiter processing facility, meaning that the vehicle could not be reassembled if it were taken apart."

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Exhibits/AirAndSpace/endeavour/Mission26/Mission26.php

The media seriously needs to stop with the headline sensationalism, and present the whole story - and when you see something that upsets you - go dig a little, and see if it really is what you think. Better yet - stand up to the incorrect source and hold them accountable for their misinformation.

Why I am me, Part 1

I am perhaps a little strange. There's probably a reason for it, but I haven't bothered to figure out the reasons for everything I do, because I kind of like who I am. But here, now, for the first time ever, I will attempt to explain away some of the reasons I do what I do, and like what I like. So, I present to you, the first installment of "Why I am me":

Space:
I like space. Space vehicles, Satellites, the sciency stuff about space. Space. Space. What is your favorite thing about space? Mine is space. I have always liked space. I don't know where it comes from really, but I do know that when I was younger, it wasn't so much about the people that made going to space possible; the Engineers, Scientists, Planners, Schedulers, Chemists, Electricians, Production and Assembly, Seamstresses - the hundreds of thousands of people that worked for contractors and sub contractors and all of that - no. It was the vehicle. I have been fascinated with machinery for longer than I can remember. My Mom told me that when I was four, I wanted to be a garbage truck. Not the garbage man - the garbage truck.

So for the longest time, my fascination was about the devices that got us there. The Space Shuttle was-is probably the biggest influence here. I am too young to have known anything about Mercury, Gemini or Apollo when I was younger. I remember as a kid, my Brother had an LP that recounted the first Shuttle mission. We must have listened to that thing a million times. I can still hum the lame theme song that they came up with for it. Looking around a bit, I thank the internet for connecting to some of my childhood memories, because now I can buy that very LP on sites like ebay and the like. But I recall my Brother waking me up for Shuttle launches - I'm still not a morning person. That was about the only thing that could get me out of bed in a flash. It was so exciting to listen to Hugh Harris' distinct voice go through the countdown. Intensity growing as he counted from 10, 9, 8, 7, six, we are go for main engine start, whe have main engine start, 3, 2, 1, Liftoff! Watching the rockets lift the Shuttle into the air, and on its merry way was something that I could never get enough of. If they showed the engineering replays on TV back then like they do on NASA TV now, I would have sat and watched every angle they could have given me. I also know that my Dad played a part in the influence as well. Once, we went up to Edward's AFB to watch Discovery land. I'll touch on that more later. But it was always the vehicles. How cool is the Shuttle that it launches on rockets, and carries that giant tank, then turns into an airplane, and comes back to earth, and land where "it" wants to. All of the mechanisms that thing must have on board. I still drool just thinking about it.

Even more recently, launch vehicles like Boeing's Delta II have come to hold a dear place in my heart. I was more inclined to follow Mars Pathfinder, or Spirit & Opportunity than I was to somehow connect with a live astronaut. Call me an Engineer - I want to see what makes it tick. I'm still learning things about launch vehicles, and complex systems, and how they all play a role in taking man into space, but I am learning more and more that it is not the machines, which are still just as fascinating, but the people that designed, built, and maintain them that make them what they are.

That stated, I am now learning to truly appreciate, rather than simply akowlege the existence of, the people involved, as well as everything that came before dawn of , April 12th, 1981. I am learning just what a big deal it was when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and how much work actually went into getting there. I am learning about characters like Eugene Cernan who just yesterday, gave a speech about the 50 years since President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon (my favorite speech ever). I am learning just what upstanding citizens they were, that did the work to get us to where we are today. All of the companies that have been involved in building rockets, landers, rovers, space stations, space suits and everything else that we had to have. Did you know that Playtex was involved with Apollo? Do you know where the Shuttles were built? There is so much that can be known or discovered about what has already happened, that it could consume the rest of your life. Part of me would be content there.

But the rest of me wants to do more. I want to design. To produce. I want to build things. To figure out how to use all of these skills and talents, so somehow contribute to accomplishing something that has never been done before. I want to be part of exploration, and research, and the discovery of what else is out there, or why we are where we are. And so, it is space that makes me who I am.

Do you like Space, launch vehicles, and our accomplishments there? Tell me about it!