Researchers Release New Findings

A new study conducted by the International Institute of Economics and Such has determined that there is not a high degree of correlation between US space shuttle launches and the gross domestic product of Guatemala.

The group looked specifically at the period between 1985 and 2004 and made the startling conclusion that the Guatemalan economy and the NASA mission schedules seemed to have had no influence on each other.

Incidences of space shuttle missions varied from a high of nine (in 1985) to a low of zero (in 1987). Meanwhile, the Guatemalan economy seems to be growing at a slow but steady rate.

The results can be seen in the graph below, which charts space shuttle launches by year in comparison with the GDP of Guatemala in billions of dollars. Most interesting is the fact that the graph of the shuttle launch schedules resembles a kitty cat.