An article appeared recently in the Washington Post highlighting U.S. Men’s National Team player Daryl Dike. He is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, and is currently playing for Barnsley, a second-division soccer club located in a former mining town situated three hours north of London.
The article noted that when his new teammates inquired about his state roots, he replied, “Oh, I’m from Oklahoma.”
“Oklahoma?” they asked. “What’s in Oklahoma?”
“I told them it’s by Texas,” he said with a smile, “Because everyone knows about Texas.”
Upon reflection, what does that really mean? Most likely it is based on what has been portrayed on popular television and film about Texas over the past 50 years.
But, let it be known that Texas is not the same place it was 50 years ago. The most compelling example is the burgeoning space travel programs around the State. We all recognize the famous phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.” The phrase emanates from communications between the Apollo 13 spacecraft and NASA Mission Control in 1970.
However, the greater Houston area is now just one of several places around the state employing people working on furthering space travel.
The Midland Airport is approved by the FAA as a commercial space launch site and is now known as the Midland International Air & Space Port.
SpaceX has a launch site at Boca Chica, near Brownsville.
Blue Origin established a sub-orbital launch facility near Van Horn, and successfully completed its first sub-orbital launch this week with four civilians.
With a new era in space travel being handled on the ground in Texas, disputes and litigation are sure to follow.
The next 50 years will certainly be an exciting time as space travel evolves, and it will simply add to what everyone knows about Texas.