“There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say, the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – President John F. Kennedy at Rice Stadium in Houston, Sept. 12, 1962.
HOUSTON – (By Ralph Bivins of Realty News Report) – Space City can reclaim its momentum. Houston’s once-famous can-do spirit and entrepreneurial energy are still assets; what’s needed is a deliberate effort to put them back to work and restore the city’s economic footing.
Has Houston lost the grit that once made it unstoppable? Some argue that civic leadership became complacent while rival cities, notably Dallas, surged ahead in economic development. Yet Houston still proudly bears the Space City name and remains home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the Clear Lake area.
In a powerful reminder of Houston’s central role in American spaceflight, astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral and later docked with the International Space Station. That mission marked the first U.S. crewed launch in nearly a decade and highlighted a new model: a close partnership between NASA and private aerospace firms led by entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk.
The revival of American crewed launches opens new opportunities for Houston. In 1961, NASA established the Manned Spacecraft Center on 1,700 acres in southeast Harris County, and astronauts quickly became local heroes. The city’s identity and growth in that era were tied to the excitement of space exploration—so much so that Houston built the Astrodome, the world’s first air-conditioned domed stadium, and embraced innovations like Astroturf.
At the Manned Spacecraft Center (renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973), teams worked on the Mercury and Gemini programs under the shared urgency of President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 Rice Stadium speech, in which he challenged the nation to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. That vision drove rapid advances and culminated in the 1969 lunar landing—proof that civic ambition and focused leadership can achieve historic results.
The Next Step …
The recent Crew Dragon docking drew praise from NASA leaders at Mission Control in Houston and signaled a shift in how NASA will operate. According to Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA will increasingly partner with commercial companies rather than owning and operating every vehicle itself. That model places firms like SpaceX at the forefront of spacecraft development while NASA continues to supply the astronauts and mission oversight. The path forward also opens prospects for commercialization and space tourism.
Houston is well positioned to remain a major player in this new era. The city has been the hub of American human spaceflight since the beginning and should leverage that legacy to participate in emerging commercial opportunities.
Elon Musk has publicly criticized California’s business climate and has considered relocating Tesla’s headquarters to Texas or Nevada. Musk is also evaluating sites for Tesla’s Cybertruck factory, with cities such as Tulsa and the Austin area mentioned. Houston should aggressively compete for such projects. The region’s environmental permitting and regulatory complexities are often cited as obstacles, but Houston’s leaders and economic development organizations must present bold, practical plans to attract major manufacturers—projects that could create thousands of jobs.
Houston faces immediate economic challenges: the pandemic has cost the region hundreds of thousands of jobs and strained industries, including oil and gas. Recovery cannot rely solely on new startups; it requires strategic pursuit of large-scale investments and partnerships that deliver rapid job creation and diversification.
Securing commitments from leaders like Musk—for Tesla, SpaceX, and other advanced manufacturers—would accelerate Houston’s rebound. Space City’s history of innovation, engineering talent, and aerospace infrastructure makes it an attractive location for high-tech industry. With concerted effort and competitive incentives, Houston can reclaim its reputation as a national leader in space and industrial innovation.
Commentary by Ralph Bivins, Editor, Realty News Report
June 2, 2020 Realty News Report Copyright 2020
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