The Last Space Shuttle Mission is in Progress...Do You Care?

Ya, I know, I am playing.

That's a wrap folks. May I live long enough to see NASA fly again. I am not optimistic.

Thanks for the link Hawkeye, glad to catch a last view of the ole shuttle.

No prob....I have fond memories of being a boy and pulled out of bed by my parents to watch the Apollo 11 moon walk because it was such a historic moment that all kids needed to watch. I wanted to be an Astronaut for a long time after that, and I remember thinking of space while I drank Tang and as I ate some food sticks that where supposed to be spaceman food. It is so sad what happened to NASA only a few years later ( the canceling of Apollo, doing Skylab but quickly losing interest so then burning it up, and the space on the cheap plan represented by the shuttle...which turned out to be very expensive as well as very dangerous), and so sad that now it is likely all over or a long while.

Yep, I remember those food sticks.
I have always been proud of our space program, I guess it's a part of us growing up in the era we have.
Watching that last landing was important to me, I would of missed it had you not posted. I hadn't even seen this thread before.

Did you go to DisneyLand Around that time? Tomorrowland was a heady place in 1969. We really thought that the moon shot was just the beginning, Millions of us kids expected to be going to space as adults, Tomorrowland was a teaser. Now I am about 50 and we can't get even one person into space. WHo would have thunk it back then?

I went to Disneyland but earlier than that, don't really remember much.
I think once we got to the moon public interest kind of dropped off.
Then the shuttle program came along and it seemed like such a great possibility, a reusable vehicle.
I really think, though, it's time for private industry to take over. They'll make it cost effective and reinstate the competitive nature we had in the Apollo days.
There's plenty of money on the table to motivate development of a delivery vehicle.

I think that ends as soon as some one dies and the company gets hauled into court. Our legal system is not compatible with private space launch, bye bye any chance of profits.

Yeah, that's something I've wondered about too. O.S.H.A. in spaaaace.
The government really needs private industry to do this though, so I'm sure they've got a plan for that. We have no intention of paying Russia exorbitant prices to launch our hardware, I'll bet.
I think private industry is farther along with this than they're letting on.

Im amazed at how quickly we become inured at any piece of technology. Claiming its a "failuer" is to miss the point of research and technology.
The shuttle want meant to be the intergalactic subway system. Its technology of its time, weve learned a lot and its time to fund a new vehicle concept and open space to private efforts.
Will the private sector be able to do it better and cheaper? well we can find out.

People get inured mostly out of ignorance, I think.
There aren't that many people who realize just what a feat of technology the landing of a space shuttle actually is.
I'm totally amazed every time I've seen it.

Oh I find it amusing that the landings is/was done under complete computer control.

They used to allowed the crew to apply the brakes on landing but then found that it was wearing out the tires too rapidly.

I think they get to deploy the chute.
Airliners are equipped to do the same thing.

Airliners do not have drag chutes not even for emergency used but depended on brakes and reverse engines thrust instead.

No, I meant they can land by computer, glide paths can be controlled by computer

YES! I care A LOT!!!

I am a big supporter of the Space Program.





David

and dont forget sports Dave, you are a big athletic supporter.

HA HA

In conversation with athletics supporters,
I have taunted their reasoning, scorned n ridiculed athletics.
I have also refused to participate, since the age of 8.





David

no one important cares. its space, its not exactly useful.