"THE ORLANDO SENTINEL" ran a story Tuesday quoting Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast as writing, "The most pressing issue for the Florida workforce is the sense of betrayal that their tax dollars might be used in establishing a competing orbital human spaceflight launch capability in another state when they have so well and ably done the job here in Florida." Added FRANK DIBELLO, PRESIDENT OF SPACE FLORIDA, suggesting the work could be "duplicative" and raised the possibility of holding a public meeting down in Florida.
The unkind remarks have not gone without notice in Virginia. Members of the Congressional delegation are being alerted, including the Chairman of the House Appropiations Subcommittee on Space and the House Republican Majority Leader. Virginians will react with "OPEDS" on the Florida tactic in nearly every daily newspaper across the Commonwealth. Virginians will make certain that every state legislator and every member of the Virginia Congressional delegation is aware of the negative EFFORT BY SPACE FLORIDA to ground the Virginia spaceport.
"The Florida space community should realize that the Chinese and the Russians will soon have two human-rated orbital spaceports. Just like we would should have had more than one option for human space access beyond the shuttle, commercial space launch should provide the American nation more than one low earth orbit space vehicle and the capacity to launch human-rated spacecraft from more than one location," said Jack Kennedy, a Virginia space advocate. "I find the anti-Virginia comments misguided, unfortunate and disappointingly, "monopolistic!"
Origin: outer-space-guests.blogspot.com
