Thumbs: ‘Space City’ returns to moon
For a while there, our “Space City” nickname was feeling more like a nostalgic tourist slogan than a modern-day moniker for a city that dreams big. We’re all for honoring the past and the recent historic preservation of the Apollo Mission Control Center, but this town’s about looking to the future. That’s why we’re thrilled that a Houston company, Intuitive Machines, put America back on the moon for the first time in over 50 years. The Thursday landing was a nail-biter for the engineers gathered at a company watch party. A software patch that Eric Berger described in Ars Technica as “some true MacGyver stuff ” was made at the last minute to fix a navigation problem. Minutes passed after the official landing time with no transmission from the lander, which is named Odysseus. Then, a faint signal reached home and mission director Tim Crain announced, “Houston, Odysseus has found his new home.” Unlike the Greek hero Odysseus, the lunar lander will never return to where he’s from. The spacecraft, which to the delight of Doctor Who fans is the size of a British police phone booth, will stay on the moon’s surface forever. So will its contents, including 125 one-inch miniature moon sculptures by Jeff Koons, the famed artist who sold a stainless steel rabbit for $90 million. Apparently there are some serious science experiments underway, too, but the lander has just seven days of life to complete them. As the Chronicle’s Andrea Leinfelder reports, it will lose solar power when the moon’s South Pole, where it landed, is overtaken by darkness. Don’t feel sorry for the Intuitive Machines team, though. In early trading Friday, the company’s stock value made its own rocket trajectory for a market capitalization of over $1 billion.
Leave it to an Aggie to make RINOs sexy. For those blissfully unaware, the RINO acronym stands for “Republicans in Name Only” and is increasingly lobbed at conservatives who don’t march lockstep with Donald Trump and his minions. If only there were a way to rob the “RINO” epithet of its sting and send it to the linguistic graveyard where “pinko” and “carpetbagger” are buried. Perhaps former Gov. Rick Perry has the right idea. While stumping for Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan — who is RINO No. 1 after he led the House in impeaching Trump pal Attorney General Ken Paxton — Perry mused: “When you think about it,” the rhino is “one of the baddest boys on the block, right?” He made a gesture with his fingers poking from his forehead and joked, “I think it’s kind of sexy, frankly.” We’ll have to trust you on that one, Governor Goodhair. We understand that Aggies are experts on such things.
It seems safe to assume that Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee never thought he’d be uttering these words when he took office in 2021, and yet, he told the Chronicle recently: “Drake and 50 Cent obviously did not do these voter registrations, and whoever did committed a crime.” The Grammy-nominated celebrities, along with three other rappers, were registered to vote using the address of a house in Katy. Not a mansion with a palatial pool and jacuzzis, mind you, where one might imagine the artists recording the ultimate album. Nope. Just a modest, beige house. Apparently, someone thought it a funny prank to register the stars to vote there using only their legal names and birth dates. Experts reassured the Chronicle that they’d likely not have been able to actually show up and vote — dual citizen and Canadian Drake would’ve had to show a utility bill or something in his name — but the stunt is still a felony. We are obviously big fans of voting, and a good joke, but definitely give a big thumbs down to voter fraud.
Houston’s real mega-star, Beyoncé, made history to become the first Black woman to have a No. 1 country hit. Our only complaint? Can’t get “Texas Hold ’Em” out of our heads. It’s a real ear worm of a song. For a minute, though, it looked like some country stations might not play the song and its companion, “Sixteen Carriages.” An Oklahoma City station refused a request to play Beyoncé but the station later backtracked and said they hadn’t been aware Queen Bey had released her two country hits. Glad they’re in the Knowles, now. And just maybe the rest of the country can stop being surprised by Black cowboys, too.
Happy Hockey Day, Houston! Yes, that’s a thing, sorta. Saint Arnold’s Brewery is hosting a familyfriendly shindig with the Houston Chapter of Hockey Players in Business that includes a Zamboni the kids can climb on for a picture. Meanwhile, local billionaire and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta told Bloomberg News he’s flirting with the National Hockey League to bring a team to downtown Houston. As strange as it may seem after our 2023 summer of endless 100 degree days, Houston’s had professional hockey before with two teams both named the Aeros, though neither played in the NHL. Gerald Hines brought ice skating to the Galleria, maybe Fertitta can bring hockey downtown, or hell, why not to the Astrodome? (Cue icy stares from Dome haters.)
Also: Perry makes ‘RINO’ sexy; Beyoncé goes country