Saru Posted July 8, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Space shuttle Atlantis has launched successfully from Cape Canaveral for the very last time. The 135th and final space shuttle mission has lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Space shuttle Atlantis was launched into history at 1129 local time (1529 GMT; 1629 BST) on Friday. The 12-day mission will ferry 3. 5 tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grc Posted July 8, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 8, 2011 The end of an era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXHellkittiesXx Posted July 8, 2011 #3 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted July 8, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I have to say, I do feel rather sad as I see the space race has run out of gas. I guess we will have to now rely on private corps to do the space stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXHellkittiesXx Posted July 8, 2011 #5 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I hate the idea of being stuck on the blue marble in the middle of nowhere, get crackin' peoples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DONTEATUS Posted July 8, 2011 #6 Share Posted July 8, 2011 The End of one Step the Start of the NEw era in our Quest`s to the Stars. Lets not Stop the Challenge ! We were meant to Travel into Deep Space and Explore. Its Genetic ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MID Posted July 8, 2011 #7 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I have to say, I do feel rather sad as I see the space race has run out of gas. I guess we will have to now rely on private corps to do the space stuff. Well, The "space race" actually ended back in 1968, Silver. But I think I know what you're talking about. We are working on heavy lift booster designs, and a spacecraft. Private industry will be working designs as well. The future? Who knows exactly what it holds? We may be seeing NASA , or a private company managing a booster, or, a combination of the two, working together to provide access to the ISS, and access to space outside of Earth orbit. It's so hard to predict these days. All it takes is a new President, and the political winds blow and entire initiative out of the water, propose another, then change it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSpoonyOne Posted July 8, 2011 #8 Share Posted July 8, 2011 All those man hours, all those deaths, all those risks just so it can end now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MID Posted July 8, 2011 #9 Share Posted July 8, 2011 All those man hours, all those deaths, all those risks just so it can end now? It has to end sometime. This was planned. The "end" of manned spaceflight wasn't, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElvisRR Posted July 9, 2011 #10 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Privatized corporate space programs.... what a scary idea.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingoLingo Posted July 9, 2011 #11 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I remember sitting up as a kid watching the first shuttle launch.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted July 9, 2011 #12 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I remember sitting up as a kid watching the first shuttle launch.. Aye, tis sad. Can remember watching the Apollo launches in the early 70's. I imagined at that time that we'd soon have people living and working on a moonbase. (.... and that I'd be in charge. A moon captain instead of the space cadet I've turned into) I fervently hope it will be not the last ever manned space-mission I see launched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoteric Toad Posted July 9, 2011 #13 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Just think of it this way, the president wants a whole new generation to experience the feeling of 1961 again. What a visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesque Orion Posted July 9, 2011 #14 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Oh lord, I couldn't help but to smirk a tear. There is a lot gone into that wonderful and gorgeous machine. Shuttle will fly in all of our hearts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted July 9, 2011 #15 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Well, The "space race" actually ended back in 1968, Silver. But I think I know what you're talking about. We are working on heavy lift booster designs, and a spacecraft. Private industry will be working designs as well. The future? Who knows exactly what it holds? We may be seeing NASA , or a private company managing a booster, or, a combination of the two, working together to provide access to the ISS, and access to space outside of Earth orbit. It's so hard to predict these days. All it takes is a new President, and the political winds blow and entire initiative out of the water, propose another, then change it! Hi ya Mid. Ya the space race did end as soon as the US landed a man on the moon but there was always more compitition to be had. To bad the last 9 years have been wasted on war and not working on the next generation of space craft. Will a new president do anything to revive NASA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROGER Posted July 9, 2011 #16 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Politics aside we are still fighting the biggest problem of all. Our planets gravity. I have no idea what we could use but another , cheaper way of getting material to Low Earth Orbit would really kick start the Explorer dream many of us have. In my opinion Moon base mining for resources or even asteroid mining for water , fuel, and air will get us to the edges of our solar system. But these are a long time off as of right now because we cant get the tools to do it up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MID Posted July 9, 2011 #17 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Hi ya Mid. Ya the space race did end as soon as the US landed a man on the moon but there was always more compitition to be had. To bad the last 9 years have been wasted on war and not working on the next generation of space craft. Will a new president do anything to revive NASA? Silver-- I think a new President could do a great deal to revive NASA...spiritually, that is! They need a concrete direction, and a mandate, supported by a Congress who understands the value of space exploration. Many need a job. This cycle of a new President, a mandate, a great Administrator who turns everything around, then another President, another Administrator who toes the new line, many jobs lost, no real future mandate and direction, and plans that change, and no one knows what they're going to be working in another year, if anything, has got to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MID Posted July 9, 2011 #18 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Politics aside we are still fighting the biggest problem of all. Our planets gravity. I have no idea what we could use but another , cheaper way of getting material to Low Earth Orbit would really kick start the Explorer dream many of us have. In my opinion Moon base mining for resources or even asteroid mining for water , fuel, and air will get us to the edges of our solar system. But these are a long time off as of right now because we cant get the tools to do it up there. I think you have it ROG. We need the lift, and we need the craft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DONTEATUS Posted July 15, 2011 #19 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Let me rub my two magic coins together ! ()()()()() Poof ! Now we are talking ! Maybe a few trillion dollars will help out the NASA short fall? Bring back a few Hundred thousand troops from a mindless war you say? Start spending the money on the needs of the Planet,people,growth,health you say? Sounds impossible you say ! Its not actually,ITs all in the way that all the people vote and demand of our elected officials that gets things done. THe excuse comes from a number of people on this rock that have the key to the bank. Greed is the overpowering game plan here. NASA really deserves all we can provide to them. Space and the expolration from space of our own planet gives us a halfway shot of surviveing our own downfalls we are makeing on this world. I hope that make sence. can we not do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xpeople Posted July 21, 2011 #20 Share Posted July 21, 2011 What is sad about this is that NASA is going to retire the best spacecraft ever built and nothing to replace it with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MID Posted July 21, 2011 #21 Share Posted July 21, 2011 What is sad about this is that NASA is going to retire the best spacecraft ever built and nothing to replace it with? This was not a sad day. This was a day for celebration, and by God we did somepartying today! Some of the greatest people anywhere were honored, awarded, and fed well! Not to say there weren't some tears...but over all, they were tears of joy at an astounding accomplishment. What's on the boards are several private spacecraft being developed for LEO applications, and NASA will be working Orion and Heavy Lift vehicle plans for exploration missions. i know it's been a lot to follow with all the administration vascillating, but there are concrete things in work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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