Final shuttle launch

[Mac]

Never seen one launch live but sure would have liked to. Just visiting the launch site give a perspective of how massive everything is. They give a really great tour of the place. Seeing the big Atlas (?) they used for the moon launches next to all the "small" ones was impressive.
Dave of the Nord

 

[ranger_mclaren]

From what I've heard, the Canada Arm's extension boom that was developed after the Columbia disaster to inspect the underside tiles and leading wing edges of the orbiter will be left on-orbit, attached to the space station. They apparently have some use for it up there. I'd guess at least one of those other arms will end up in a museum somewhere in Canada.

As for the shuttles, Atlantis will end up at the KSC visitor center in Florida after it lands. Discovery goes to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Virginia. Endeavor will go to the California Science Center in L.A.

The test shuttle Enterprise heads to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in NYC.

I was really hoping WPAFB would get one they was in the running for one but no dice. I guess having all the Air Force ones and a couple stealth fighters put them over the limit for cool stuff. Looks like i'm gonna half to make a trip to virginia.

 

[noahkenny]

I was in 5th grade, watching it in school. I remember it was a pretty big event at school because of the "Teacher in Space" program. I also remember my teacher crying when it happened.

I was 15 when challenger blew up. We had been out of school for 9 straight days down here because of snow and bitter cold. I remember watching it live on tv. I was by myself and didnt really know what to think..

 

[rrbrian222]

Looks like i'm gonna half to make a trip to virginia.

....and you'll be able to check out the original 1903 Wright Flyer when you are out there as well.

As for Ohio, you guys don't do too bad in aerospace stuff; ie Wright Brothers, Wright-Patterson AFB, NASA Glenn Research Center, etc.

 

[straycat]

I have a buddy who's brother-in-law works there at the Cape. He retired from the AF and went to work at NASA over 27 years ago. He is one of the builders of the shuttles (the last two) and he tried to retire three times in the past 2 years but they needed him and paid him more money to stay plus a few very huge bonuses as well. Now, he can retire and about 1,000 people will be laid off early next month. How are we going to get into space...rely on the Russians?? We have satellites up there and we need to maintain them. Still rely on the Russians again?? What about the space station? Still rely on the Russians??

 

[rrbrian222]

How are we going to get into space...rely on the Russians?? We have satellites up there and we need to maintain them. Still rely on the Russians again?? What about the space station? Still rely on the Russians??

This situation is just sad. At least President Bush in 2004 proposed a new system be in place before calling for the end of the Shuttle program. Obama wanted nothing of that...the space program takes too much money away from his efforts to bribe/pay off his union buddies and secure for himself a guaranteed voter base (btw, how's that really working out, Barry?)

Here's a good article I found today:

Russians Win the Space Race

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/08/it-s-goodbye-shuttle-hello-soyuz-after-atlantis-last-flight.html

 

[gwaii]

after thirty years it was time for retirement,but it sure would have been nice if a replacement were readied ahead of time.

 

[robertc1024]

Here, there's thousands of people who got laid off in Clear Lake (near Houston) where the Johnson Space Center is headquartered. People who worked for dozens of years doing things like sewing space suits. Who's going to do that now? Who has the knowledge? Who has the expertise?

Our whole family went to the interactive museum there right before the last Columbia mission. It was a school outing where we spent the night. I've still got a couple of stickers that NASA made for that mission with all the astronauts names on them. - sad.

 

[naford]

You can't go into the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. You have to go the Great Lakes Science Museum thats where they moved the public exhibits to.

Don't blame Obama for Nasa's loss the congress can appropriate funds for it but as they said in the movie The Right Stuff "No bucks no Buck Rodgers." Also blame the private sector can do it better crowd. They think the private sector can do space travel cheaper. IMHO The Apollo program would have never happened if it had been left up to the private sector especially today with coporate greed.

The return on dollar for Nasa is for 1 dollar spent something like 6 to 7 dollars are returned. But these numbers are in dispute could be more could be less. Bet you didn't know that the same math used to plot planets is used in CT scanners.

Saw a series on Apollo and I was amazed to learn that the maker of the space suits made womens bras. That they had women sew by hand the program into memory for the lunar lander. The memory was wire coils on cloth. Reminds me of the old IBM 360/370 main frames.

 

[rrbrian222]

It's proper and justified to hold Obama accountable for current state of the manned spaceflight program. The President sets the priorities for this nation and let's face it, Obama could care less about NASA and the R&D it provides. NASA's a mere $18 billion/year agency. That's it. Compared to the size of the annual federal budget, NASA costs the taxpayers less than 3/10ths of one percent!

If we can't find a way to maintain our manned-launch capability when we piss away federal dollars left and right on GM union-worker bailouts and failed stimulus packages then clearly we are a nation with our heads up our asses as the rest of the world passes us by in technological prowess and know-how.

And that I WILL blame Obama for.

 

[CHKNFKR]

gonna have to do some digging but i recall reading we will still maintain our own low orbit systems and even resupply the space station using "Commercial High Altitude Resupply Vehicles." i thought that was what the shuttle was....



What he said!

 

[shane96ranger]

after thirty years it was time for retirement,but it sure would have been nice if a replacement were readied ahead of time.

You mean you haven't got something in your garage that can get up there Gwaii?

 

[shane96ranger]

It's proper and justified to hold Obama accountable for current state of the manned spaceflight program. The President sets the priorities for this nation and let's face it, Obama could care less about NASA and the R&D it provides. NASA's a mere $18 billion/year agency. That's it. Compared to the size of the annual federal budget, NASA costs the taxpayers less than 3/10ths of one percent!

If we can't find a way to maintain our manned-launch capability when we piss away federal dollars left and right on GM union-worker bailouts and failed stimulus packages then clearly we are a nation with our heads up our asses as the rest of the world passes us by in technological prowess and know-how.

And that I WILL blame Obama for.

Not only all of this stuff, but the space program has lead to several advances in medicine, etc. You could really say the space program saves lives. Look at some of the things in this link:

http://www.problem-solving-techniques.com/US-Space-Program.html

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

So whats to become of the NASA channel on my dish network????

 

[ranger_mclaren]

So whats to become of the NASA channel on my dish network????

No more NASA. What dish network?