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Thank you NASA for 30 years of awesomeness....

O

opentrackerSteve

Guest
Today marks the end of an era - the last Space Shuttle has completed over 30 years of triumphs and tragedy.

I'll miss them.

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Back in college, my friend, Maurice (who I chose as my best man at my wedding) and I got up at 2am and drove to Edwards AFB to see Columbia land at dawn. We were late to our Thermodynamics class and once we told the proefessor where we had been he had us come up and tell the entire class what we saw and experienced. Our professor was also a significant contributor to the main engines on the shuttle at Rocketdyne.

One more experience was about a year later, I was mowing my parent's front yard and head a loud noise - looked up and saw Enterprise on the back of the 747 at a very low altitude - it was flying to Vandenberg for fit checks at the launch complex under construction at the time (it never was finished due to excessive wind)....

Godspeed!
 
I will miss them as well. I cannot wait for the next program whatever it my be.

fd
 
It is kinda sad day. Now we will have to count on the Russians to transport people and stuff into space!
 
I remember watching the launches in school when I was a kid.
They would always stop class and roll a tv in so we could watch.
 
"RapidRabbit" said:
I remember watching the launches in school when I was a kid.
They would always stop class and roll a tv in so we could watch.
Click to expand...

In my time, I did the same with Apollo and black and white tvs with aerials (rabbbit ears)...
 
My only experience with the Shuttle....

Was while I was working at McDonnell Aircraft in St.Louis. The then glider testcraft Enterrprise was visiting the main plant (Lambert Field). First we sat at the end of the airport property to watch it arrive on the back of the 747 with T-38s as escort. It flew a low approach all down the runway and then pulled up in a steep left climb. Looked awesome and not really too stressful on the 747 since the 747 was gutted and the Enterprise was flyable (glider style) but had nothing else in it..engines, fully outfitted, etc..
We then went over to the MAC ramp where we could all view it up close. I still have the picture I took on my wall at home. :thu
 
On sheer luck, I caught the last launch countdown as it clicked to 1:30 while sitting here before work the other morning. Dragged the wife and daughter in to watch the last shuttle launch ever. Hopefully the 4yr old will remember.
 
"FordDude" said:
I will miss them as well. I cannot wait for the next program whatever it my be.
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Forgive me for bring politics onto this board...but we HAD the next great program. Orion was going to take us to new heights, and give us a truly flexible space platform.

Bush had approved it, and there were future lunar and eventual martian missions scribbled onto the "long term plans."

Then Obama showed up and screwed us.

That I live in a United States without a planned manned space program just makes me sick in ways I cannot fathom. The french, Japanese and Russians all have manned programs. The Chinese *WILL*. We are currently guaranteeing that we won't be *THE* space power, and I fear that this will mean we won't be a science power either. And if we aren't a science power, it won't be long until we're not a giant economic power either. We'll always be big...we just made too much money over the 20th century. But this is a true threat to an already weakened giant. And I worry about my kids growing up watching the next man who steps on the moon's first words being some Chinese gibberish.
 
"AtlantaSteve" said:
Forgive me for bring politics onto this board...but we HAD the next great program. Orion was going to take us to new heights, and give us a truly flexible space platform.

Bush had approved it, and there were future lunar and eventual martian missions scribbled onto the "long term plans."

Then Obama showed up and screwed us.

That I live in a United States without a planned manned space program just makes me sick in ways I cannot fathom. The french, Japanese and Russians all have manned programs. The Chinese *WILL*. We are currently guaranteeing that we won't be *THE* space power, and I fear that this will mean we won't be a science power either. And if we aren't a science power, it won't be long until we're not a giant economic power either. We'll always be big...we just made too much money over the 20th century. But this is a true threat to an already weakened giant. And I worry about my kids growing up watching the next man who steps on the moon's first words being some Chinese gibberish.
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Yep, and not only did he scrub the entire program, he was bragging about it on his Face book page yesterday like it was a good thing.

It's possible someone in private industry will start to explore space but there will have to be a profit motive or it won't happen.

I try (not very hard) to not post on NObama's face book page so I don't move up the watch list but I had to point out yesterday that without a space agency all a rogue nation has to do is take out some key satellites and we are sitting ducks. Our military can't wipe their backside these days without GPS, etc. When we went on a tour of the Midway the guy giving the tour said they are not even teaching the sextant at the Naval academy any longer and relying pretty much 100% on GPS these days.

To tell the truth though, between the off shore drilling ban and this, scrapping Nasa is just another way "the one" is trying to "punish" Texas.

Some folks are still claiming Nasa / space exploration is a "waste of money" but I guess they've never heard of spin off technology?
 
Great points, all. Agree pretty much 100% (not sure on the whole doing this to screw Texas thing, but I'll let that slide ;))

One point you made I wanted to follow up on:

"RustyRed" said:
Some folks are still claiming Nasa / space exploration is a "waste of money" but I guess they've never heard of spin off technology?
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Anyone complaining on the internet that space exploration is a waste of money has no sense of irony.

NO I'm not saying the internet came out of the space program...I'm saying the space program (and other programs...mostly government funded) pushed the technology to the point it is today.

Hard-fast-exploration science is risky and expensive. It's too much for private industry to take on. too specculative. The first boats that came to the Americas were Columbus, and then Magellan. Both Government Sponsored. The Dutch India Tea Company came afterwards. But so much of science and exploration (both of which are paramount in the space program) is risky, high investment, sometimes low yield propositions. BUT they generate technology and knowledge, and other people use that to fuel the economics.

Anyone who thinks Space Exploration exists cause "it's cool" doesn't get it at all. It was "cool" to put a satellite into space 60 years ago. NOW it's a billion dollar industry upon which our modern world relies.
 
It'll be interesting to see if any of the Republican pool of candidates will include the rebirth of NASA as a part of their 2012 campaign platform. I get the very real sense America wants to get regain some of it's patriotic and nationalistic sense and NASA has always been that banner. You saw it post 9/11 and again when Saddam fell. Even saw a brief glimmer when Bin Laden was taken down. IMHO, much of what ails this country can be cured by reigniting that flame.
 
Having been involved with an organization for 16 years devoted to basic science, it is extremely hard to justify expenditures (particularly in this political climate!) based upon spin-offs. The pay-off is long-term and rarely above the investment level over that time.
 
"RustyRed" said:
Some folks are still claiming Nasa / space exploration is a "waste of money" but I guess they've never heard of spin off technology?
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My parents are in town and we were just talking about this at dinner last night.

I think NASA has a bad PR program. AFAIK, their PR program revolves around launches, landings, and spacewalks. They need to put the information out regarding what the benefits are to the taxpayers. Maybe they try, but if so, they aren't doing a good job of it.
 
"sigtauenus" said:
My parents are in town and we were just talking about this at dinner last night.

I think NASA has a bad PR program. AFAIK, their PR program revolves around launches, landings, and spacewalks. They need to put the information out regarding what the benefits are to the taxpayers. Maybe they try, but if so, they aren't doing a good job of it.
Click to expand...

+10, (hex)
 
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