In LA they'll trade you 400 trees for a space shuttle

Discovery-April 2010

If you never saw a space shuttle launch then you missed out on a truly unique experience.  The first time I saw the space shuttle hurling towards space was early morning the day after Easter 2010.  I was reluctant to wake up early to see Atlantis take off as I had a new baby and I really needed all the sleep I could get,  yet I mustered up the energy to walk out of my house before the dawn broke to see shuttle take off carrying astronauts into space.  

 

Sleeping through history 

Several months later we went to Cape Canaveral to watch another launch in person.  As the shuttle program was coming to a close, the atmosphere was both festive and a bit depressed.  I was happy that we were able to take our then three month old daughter with us to witness such an event even if she would never remember the experience (but that is why we take photos).  

Atlantis takes off

Today the space shuttle program has ended and the space shuttles have gone to find homes at museums all over the country.  Endeavour, will be going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.  While I am sure the people of LA will be happy to have the Endeavor on exhibit, it comes with a price.  In order to get Endeavour to the museum, 400 trees along the route to the museum must be cut down so that this oversized load can pass.   You can read more about it here: Tree removal for space shuttle arrival tempers excitement.  

While I commend the city for their plans to replace the removed trees 2:1, the negative effects of removing these large trees will be felt for years, even decades to come as the newer, much smaller trees grow.  I have a feeling that the trees that must be removed provide some of the nicer scenery along the 12 miles of road where the space shuttle must pass.  These same trees shade homes and lower energy bills where money may be limited.  The space shuttle is certainly part of history, but so too are the trees.  As the article states "Taking the massive shuttle apart would have damaged the delicate tiles that acted as heat sensors".  That may be true, but seeing as the Endeavour is retired and will never fly again, I don't see why the integrity of the heat sensors is so important.  It appears to me that the removal of 400 trees that are still thriving and people who live and work along this route should have been given a higher priority.