Editing Johnson Space Center (section)

===Site selection===

In 1961, Congress held hearings and passed a $1.7&nbsp;billion 1962 NASA appropriations bill which included $60&nbsp;million for the new crewed spaceflight laboratory.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=38}} A set of requirements for the new site was drawn up and released to the Congress and general public. These included: access to [[water transport]] by large barges, a moderate climate, availability of all-weather commercial jet service, a well-established industrial complex with supporting technical facilities and labor, close proximity to a culturally attractive community in the vicinity of an institution of higher education, a strong electric utility and water supply, at least {{cvt|1000|acre}} of land, and certain specified cost parameters.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=38}} In August 1961, Webb asked Associate Director of the [[Ames Research Center]] John F. Parsons to head a site-selection team, which included Philip Miller, Wesley Hjornevik, and I. Edward Campagna, the construction
engineer for the STG.<ref name="TNO 12">{{cite book
 | last1 = Swenson
 | first1 = Loyd S. Jr.
 | first2 = James M.
 | last2 = Grimwood
 | first3 = Charles C.
 | last3 = Alexander
 | title = This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
 | publisher = [[NASA]]
 | series = Special Publication
 | volume = 4201
 | year = 1989
 | chapter = Chapter 12.3: Space Task Group Gets a New Home and Name
 | chapter-url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm
 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm
 | access-date = June 1, 2011
 | archive-date = July 13, 2009
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090713233748/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> The team initially came up with a list of 22 cities based on the climate and water criteria, then cut this to a short list of nine with nearby federal facilities:
* Jacksonville, Florida ([[Green Cove Springs, Florida|Green Cove Springs]] [[Naval Air Station]])
* Tampa, Florida ([[MacDill Air Force Base]])
* [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
* Shreveport, Louisiana ([[Barksdale Air Force Base]])
* Houston, Texas ([[San Jacinto Ordnance Depot]])
* Victoria, Texas ([[Victoria Regional Airport|FAA Airport; former Foster Air Force Base]])
* Corpus Christi, Texas ([[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]])
* San Diego, California ([[Camp Elliott]])
* San Francisco, California ([[Benicia Arsenal]]){{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=39}}
 
Another 14 sites were then added, including two additional Houston sites chosen because of proximity to [[Rice University]].<ref name=JSC/> The team visited all 23 sites between August 21 and September 7, 1961. During these visits, Massachusetts Governor [[John A. Volpe]] and Senator [[Margaret Chase Smith]] headed a delegation which exerted particularly strong political pressure, prompting a personal inquiry to Webb from President Kennedy. Senators and congressmen from sites in Missouri and California similarly lobbied the selection team. Proponents of sites in Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Norfolk, Virginia,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Korsgaard |first1=Sean |title=Williamsburg recalls watching Apollo 11 and helping crew get there |url=https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-moon-landing-anniversary-0717-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp5 |access-date=24 July 2019 |work=Virginia Gazette, Daily Press |agency=Tribune Media |date=20 July 2019 |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724133658/https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-moon-landing-anniversary-0717-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp5 |url-status=dead }}</ref> went so far as to make separate presentations to Webb and the headquarters staff, so Webb added these additional sites to the final review.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=39}}

Following its tour, the team identified MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa as its first choice, based on the fact the Air Force was planning to close down its Strategic Air Command operations there. The Houston Rice University site was second, and the Benicia Ordnance Depot in San Francisco was third. Before a decision could be made, however, the Air Force decided not to close MacDill, omitting it from consideration and moving the Rice University site to first place. Webb informed President Kennedy on September 14 of the decision made by him and deputy administrator [[Hugh Dryden]] in two separate memoranda, one reviewing the criteria and procedures, and the other stating: "Our decision is that this laboratory should be located in Houston, Texas, in close association with Rice University and the other educational institutions there and in that region." The Executive Office and NASA made advance notifications of the award, and the public announcement of the location followed on September 19, 1961.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=40}} According to [[Texas A&M University]] historian [[Henry C. Dethloff]], "Although the Houston site neatly fit the criteria required for the new center, Texas undoubtedly exerted an enormous political influence on such a decision. Lyndon B. Johnson was Vice President and head of the Space Council, [[Albert Thomas (American politician)|Albert Thomas]] headed the House Appropriations Committee, [[Robert R. Casey|Bob Casey]] and [[Olin E. Teague]] were members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, and Teague headed the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Finally, [[Sam Rayburn]] was Speaker of the House of Representatives."{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|pp=41-42}}

The land for the new facility was {{cvt|1000|acre|ha}} donated to Rice by the [[Humble Oil]] company, situated in an undeveloped area {{cvt|25|mi|km}} southeast of Houston adjacent to [[Clear Lake (Galveston Bay)|Clear Lake]] near [[Galveston Bay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.rice.edu/2009/07/16/houston-we-have-a-space-program/|title=Houston, we have a space program|access-date=October 12, 2015|archive-date=January 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106190610/http://news.rice.edu/2009/07/16/houston-we-have-a-space-program/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Schulman">{{cite book | author=Schulman, Bruce J. | title=From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt: Federal Policy, Economic Development, and the Transformation of the South 1938–1980 | publisher=Duke University Press | year=1994 | page=149 | isbn=978-0-8223-1537-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwcGbPRuM9oC}}</ref>{{sfnp|Dumoulin|1988}} At the time, the land was used to graze cattle.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=40}} Immediately after Webb's announcement, Gilruth and his staff began planning the move from Langley to Houston, using what would grow to {{cvt|295996|ft2|m2}} of leased office and laboratory space in 11 scattered sites.<ref name="TNO 12"/> On November 1, the conversion of the Task Group to MSC became official.{{sfnp|Grimwood|1963|p=152}}