[George W. Bush]

Since this was a civilian crew, we can assume they didn't launch any military satellites.

Anyone know the status of our big KH spy satellites? It's pretty certain we won't be able to launch more for a while and the shuttle is the only way to carry our biggest spy birds into space. That's one of the main reasons why we've been stuck with the current shuttle design up till now.

[Movemout]

"Anyone know the status of our big KH spy satellites? It's pretty certain we won't be able to launch more for a while and the shuttle is the only way to carry our biggest spy birds into space. "

Not true. DSP launches have been accomplished using Titans. Civil access to space will be extremely curtailed for the near term. Back when Challenger went down the military, who had been forced into all eggs in one basket strategy, created a policy of Shuttle/Expendable capabilities. Miltary ability to launch assets is intact.