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Posted on 07/08/2011 12:23:45 PM PDT by SoonerStorm09
OKLAHOMA CITY – For those fascinated with America’s Space Shuttle program and the exploration of space, today is a bit bittersweet.
Today is the end of an era of NASA-led spaceflight. The Atlantis Space Shuttle took off this morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its final mission – and the last mission of the remaining Space Shuttle fleet. We wish the crew a successful mission and a safe return.
At a very early age I was fascinated with space travel and the exploration of space. The final Apollo mission – Apollo 17 – took place when I was a mere baby. A few years later I was only vaguely aware of Skylab and later its fiery return to Earth in July 1979. It would be the first launch of the Columbia Space Shuttle in 1981 that really captured my attention.
I distinctly remember, right before the launch, playing with Star Wars spaceship toys in my friend Jason’s backyard and tossing a ship in the air and watching it crash to the ground. I told Jason that that was what was going to happen to Columbia (call me a pessimist). Fortunately the first launch was successful, although, sadly, Columbia would disintegrate over Texas and western Louisiana while I was a reporter at a Louisiana newspaper. Covering that event was depressing, as was hearing about the loss of the Challenger 17 years earlier.
And just by coincidence, doing some freelance work for The Norman Transcript last week, I had a chance to briefly interview Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space.
(Excerpt) Read more at reddirtreport.com ...
We put Americans back in charge, instead of RINOs,Commies and worthless Third world Animals,maybe we can once again do something.
No space program at all?
Please tell that to all the good folks at the Wallops Flight Center who launched an Orion last week and will be trying once again tomorrow to launch sounding rockets (3 other attempts were scrubbed this week because of weather conditions and some other issues.) I think those good people would beg to differ with you.
Scaled back? Yes. Totally done away with? Absolutely not.
Considering that the budget for the Orion program has been slashed - they are simply going through the motions with the funds/manpower they have.
ATK won’t be making the quantity of rockets as origionally planned. So, where do we go from here?
For the few years they had a blank check, though they still had problems (Apollo 1). For the most part, the unmanned programs have been phenomenal. The only time they had major screw ups was when Clinton interfered with the faster, better, cheaper nonsense.
They are definitely going into the private sector. My old college roomie works at NASA and her husband works at a subcontractor. She still has a job because she works in facilities. He’s an engineer and he will have to go into the private sector. They have 3 kids in college. This is also decimating the economy of clearlake.
They are definitely going into the private sector. My old college roomie works at NASA and her husband works at a subcontractor. She still has a job because she works in facilities. He’s an engineer and he will have to go into the private sector. They have 3 kids in college. This is also decimating the economy of clearlake.
I acknowledged it has been scaled back — you are the one who claimed it was gone.
I am aware of what is going on, I live with these people. This is my community. There has been a big hit here, though no where near as bad as in Florida and Houston. They have missions, and they keep adding more and will continue to add more as they continue to construct more and more at the Spaceport. That’s not to say there weren’t any tears over there today.
Everyone is looking forward to the Minataur launch later this year. That is one big puppy. I watched it being hauled down the road about a month or so ago, and what we saw was only part of it.
It 's called "Getting even with Whitey."
Let’s clarify a bit...
Gone .. there are NO future plans.
Back in the Apollo days, there was a haitus, but we KNEW the shuttle program was coming down the road. We were leaping forward, a re-useable craft that could be serviced and re-launched in a matter of months. A craft that could land on a runway, carry a crew of 2 to 7, launch and retrieve satelites. This was supposed to be an intermediary to an even greater craft.
The Orion program is a giant leap backwards - going back to an expendable capsule with men serving little more than ballast. No great challenges lay before us,only budget cuts. I call that ‘Gone’; the space program is a dead man who just hasn’t bothered to lie down.
Let’s clarify a bit...
Gone .. there are NO future plans.
Back in the Apollo days, there was a haitus, but we KNEW the shuttle program was coming down the road. We were leaping forward, a re-useable craft that could be serviced and re-launched in a matter of months. A craft that could land on a runway, carry a crew of 2 to 7, launch and retrieve satelites. This was supposed to be an intermediary to an even greater craft.
The Orion program is a giant leap backwards - going back to an expendable capsule with men serving little more than ballast. No great challenges lay before us,only budget cuts. I call that ‘Gone’; the space program is a dead man who just hasn’t bothered to lie down.
The sadness should not be for the shuttle program. The sadness should be there is nothing new.
Democrats, Luddite progressives are to blame. Crack babies from single mom leg spreaders trump space exploration.
Cut that shit out. SpaceX has future plans. Scaled Composites has future plans. Others do as well. Gummint space is dead long live private space travel! Screw NASA. Sorry folks, but the gravy train is over. I have 6 years in manned space flight experience Hodar, what have you got for comparison? Honest to God these people are going to have to get real jobs in a very tough time, and I feel for that. OTOH this change is LONG overdue.
Nonsense. Utter tripe. BS.
The government should get out of the automobile biz and it should get out of the rocket biz too.
Workfare for engineers is over.
Now we get competition.
I don’t necessarily disagree.
In a recent issue of Forbes there was a long piece describing the efforts of a Las Vegas company that purchased the NASA patents for a space station modular design and is building them. They apparently have one module in orbit now. Their intention is to lease the modules to those who want them. The effort is well under way for commercial ventures
I think government direction is required though for travel to Mars or such. There is no present commercial need for such a venture
But the costs were much, much too high. "Re-using" the Shuttle resulted in a crazy expensive cost of $18,000/Kg of payload to orbit.
The best you can say about the Shuttle is that it was an interesting idea, poorly executed. And the idea wasn't all that bright in the first place. Using a man-rated vehicle to boost hardware is extremely wasteful.
At the end, the Shuttle existed to service the ISS and the ISS was built for a place for the Shuttle to go to. How many times do we need to launch John Glenn into orbit, anyway?
Nonsense. Utter tripe. BS.
The government should get out of the automobile biz and it should get out of the rocket biz too.
Workfare for engineers is over.
Now we get competition.
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