http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/25/nola.nasa.ap/index.html
This seems like a nice Christmas present for the city.The route to the moon and perhaps to Mars now goes through New Orleans -- and the detour couldn't come at a better time in the city's struggle to rebuild its shattered economy after Hurricane Katrina.
With thousands of houses still in ruins and its population reduced by almost 170,000, New Orleans is getting a boost in the form of high-wage jobs and contracts for next-generation space systems at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.
Before the storm, New Orleans' economy thrived on low-wage tourism. But the $156 million payroll at Michoud -- some salaries are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars -- generates paychecks significantly above the city's median annual income of about $27,000.