Houston, we have a podcast.

Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center,

episode 85, Space City.

I'm Pat Ryan.

On this podcast we talk with scientists, engineers, astronauts, lots of other folks about their

part in America's space exploration program.

Today we're focusing on how the presence of one NASA field center here in Houston impacts the community

in which it resides and vice versa. When President Kennedy set his

moon landing goal back in 1961, NASA decided that the group that was leading human space

flight efforts needed its own location. The requirements were that it be at

least a thousand acres in a moderate climate with established electric and

water utilities, close to commercial jet service and to water transport that

could accommodate large barges that it have an established industrial complex with

available labor, be close to institutes of higher education, and have a culturally

attractive community. The site that ultimately was selected was 25 miles

southeast of downtown Houston which in the 1960 Census had a population of

938000 people just a little behind Baltimore and about 60,000

ahead of Cleveland.

The site actually wasn't even inside the Houston City limits.

A map from 1961 shows that the only things interesting

enough in the immediate area to be marked were a county park and the Houston Girl Scout

Camp, which was located pretty much where I'm sitting today.

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