Barack Obama to families of the Columbia and Challenger astronauts: Drop dead.

NASA is handing over the retiring Shuttle fleet to Kennedy Space Center (cool), the Smithsonian (cool), an installation in LA and the Intrepid Museum in New York City, where it will rot away on a barge in the Hudson River.

JSC, where the astronauts live and train and where many of the family members of the Columbia and Challenger disasters still live, will not receive a Shuttle.

"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

There's already a parking spot at Space Center Houston for a retired Shuttle. It's been available for 20 years. It was built just for that purpose, with full climate control and protection from the elements.

There is no rational or logical explanation for this decision except payback. None. The Shuttle in NYC will be weathered away like Concorde, destroying a piece of our history. Congratulations for your petty victory, Barry.