Virginia’s politicians whine about a NASA plan to close the visitor center at Wallops
Chicken Little on the march! Virginia’s representatives are now in a panicked tizzy because it appears NASA is considering closing the visitors center at the Wallops Island spaceport on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation were shocked by news of the potential closure of the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center and worry it will negatively impact the Eastern Shore’s economy.
Employees at Goddard Space Flight Center and Wallops received word last week that management planned to close several facilities, including NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center — and federal workers asked for congressional support to preserve the local landmark.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, a Republican who represents Virginia’s 2nd District, said the proposed closure came as a shock. In a statement, she said was committed to supporting NASA Wallops staff. “This is an unacceptable and drastic step that will have a significant impact on local employees, residents, and visitors,” Kiggans said. “My staff and I are in contact with NASA to better understand the reasoning behind this reported decision as it is contradictory to the proposed House budget. Wallops has long been a vital part of our community, and we will do everything we can to support the work that’s done there and the people who work there.”
Nor is Kiggans the only politican whining. The article includes similar quotes from Democrat senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, as well as local state representative Rob Bloxom. All make the absurd claims that closing this one visitor center will destroy American civilization in Virginia.
And as usual for our propaganda press, no alternative opinions are offered. The only side that gets pushed is the pro-spending side.
What crap. NASA’s job is to foster a vibrant American space industry, by either developing or encouraging the development of actual technologies that can be used for this purpose. A visitor center has nothing to do with this job.
Moreover, such a visitor center employs a relatively small number of people. The economy of the Eastern Shore is not going to collapse by its closure. In fact, the economy won’t really notice it is gone in any significant way.
If we can’t cut the budget in this small way, we will never cut anything, and the country is doomed.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Chicken Little on the march! Virginia’s representatives are now in a panicked tizzy because it appears NASA is considering closing the visitors center at the Wallops Island spaceport on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation were shocked by news of the potential closure of the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center and worry it will negatively impact the Eastern Shore’s economy.
Employees at Goddard Space Flight Center and Wallops received word last week that management planned to close several facilities, including NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center — and federal workers asked for congressional support to preserve the local landmark.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, a Republican who represents Virginia’s 2nd District, said the proposed closure came as a shock. In a statement, she said was committed to supporting NASA Wallops staff. “This is an unacceptable and drastic step that will have a significant impact on local employees, residents, and visitors,” Kiggans said. “My staff and I are in contact with NASA to better understand the reasoning behind this reported decision as it is contradictory to the proposed House budget. Wallops has long been a vital part of our community, and we will do everything we can to support the work that’s done there and the people who work there.”
Nor is Kiggans the only politican whining. The article includes similar quotes from Democrat senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, as well as local state representative Rob Bloxom. All make the absurd claims that closing this one visitor center will destroy American civilization in Virginia.
And as usual for our propaganda press, no alternative opinions are offered. The only side that gets pushed is the pro-spending side.
What crap. NASA’s job is to foster a vibrant American space industry, by either developing or encouraging the development of actual technologies that can be used for this purpose. A visitor center has nothing to do with this job.
Moreover, such a visitor center employs a relatively small number of people. The economy of the Eastern Shore is not going to collapse by its closure. In fact, the economy won’t really notice it is gone in any significant way.
If we can’t cut the budget in this small way, we will never cut anything, and the country is doomed.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Visited the Wallops Visitors Center about 10 years ago. I was aware of the Wallops launch facility from prior work, but only found out about the Visitors Center when driving to a campground on Chincoteague Island one weekend. Basically, the Visitors Center is on a dead-end road, you pass it on the way to Chincoteague, the road then stops at the Atlantic Ocean.
The Visitors Center was clean and neat, with a few intriguing exhibits, but limited hours, an overall rating of “Meh” in comparison with other museums and exhibits I’ve been to.
Probably a cost-saving measure on NASA’s part, I cannot see the Visitors Center being any significant draw of visitors or income compared to Chincoteague. Politicians whine a lot. Let them fund the Visitors Center from their own pockets if they think it’s that important.
We can’t cut any budget even in a small way, we will never cut anything, and the country is doomed.
How many visitors are we talking about anyway? I hope he or she isn’t too disappointed. If it was popular, I doubt they’d want to cut it.
A safe viewing location with parking and porta potties would be nice, but they’ll probably try to close down all public viewing out of spite. If it’s still there in September I may….visit! I would normally just drive on by.
Mr Z.
Thanks for posting. If the elected politicians’ protests about this are anything other than posturing for a few local votes (and perhaps that’s it) then I feel sorry for them, for their lack of vision and potential, which certainly includes the Virginia Spaceport and clients (RocketLab, Firefly). Once things develop one can bet that either will have visitor accomodations a he(ll) ck of a lot better than NASA.
Everything you mention, everything, about government self preservation and small mindedness is manifest at Wallops, and apparently in the local politicians. Years ago I worked there (CSC) for six weeks (I had the credentials) before seeing the light, and quit. I could write a book but this ain’t the forum. Once thru enjoying and working in other productive aspects of life I’ll do so, and send a copy. Thank You.
Wallops Visitors Center
Open 15 hours/week 1000 – 1500 Thurs – Sat. 41,578 visitors last year. Not a bad draw, considering it’s location. As Wandering Neurons implied, most of that traffic was likely on the way to somewhere else.
Actually much better numbers than the erstwhile EPA Museum, which saw under 2000 visitors in the ten months it was open. EPA had a museum? Exactly.
I am glad the EPA museum is no more–enough with guilt trips.
NASA museums are a type of space evangelism…we need more of those to introduce kids to space in this more distracting era.
There is nothing stopping Virginia from funding the Wallops Visitors’ Center. Or some private group from running it like Space Center Houston. If it is that important then they should. If it’s just a way to leverage other people’s money, shut it down.
Having a visitors center at Wallops is like having a Disney visitor center at Ceder Point Ohio.
I am tempted to cut Kiggans a little slack on this sort of thing, while sympathizing with the more basic sentiment of our host. The second Virginia district is very much a swing district, and she first won it in 2022 by a razor thin majority (like, a thousand votes), and not much better than that in 2024: she is just about as righty as you can get and actually win that district, as it is drawn now. The visitor’s center may not employ many people but I reckon the logic is that it has a public visibility (and support) that goes beyond its workforce footprint. A few hundred votes shifting over this could well be the difference in a tough midterm election for Kiggans next year.
(It’s not what I would do. I am just saying that I grok the kind of stand Kiggans is taking.)
On the other hand, I wonder if this is the sort of high visibility attempt meant to distract congresscritters with a shiny object, to divert attention from more serious chops at NASA headcount in less visible parts of the agency.
Think of it like Doge.
If she embraced it like a cost saving measure the people would love it.
People at large, maybe–but they all don’t vote in her district.
Space is always a target for cuts that should be elsewhere.
have courage.
People around here voted for the republicans who closed the city schools to save money.
Indeed.
The VA 2CD basically splits the greater Norfolk area with the 3CD. Lots and lots of people living there collecting their paychecks from government or contractors doing business with the government. It’s almost all military, of course, so that is what makes it at least competitive — unlike, you know, certain Northern Virginia congressional districts. But it has not struck me as a particularly libertarian district.
I’m not a fan of Ms. Kiggans for policy reasons that go beyond any of this, but I do at least get why she might adopt this stance on Wallops. Kiggans’ seat is one of the 35 seats that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting next year.
Marshall at least has test stand battleships
Goddard had….this:
https://nasawatch.com/personnel-news/nasa-gsfc-closes-fitness-center/
They can’t go for a walk or buy these work-out contraptions for pennies on the dollar at yard sales?