Space Shuttle

For most of my adult life, the value of the space program has always been questionable to me. The huge budget that NASA receives could probably be applied to more pressing issues. But with the space shuttle program winding down, I am somewhat disappointed in the country. I was very young when the space shuttle came out, but as a child I remember how big it was. The space shuttle can be viewed as a symbol of what this country can achieve, thirty years after it's design, the shuttle is still a viable and reliable system.

I guess where I am going is why can't the government realize that space travel, beyond any scientific value, has a huge value as a symbol. Every kid at some point wanted to be an astronaut and fly the space shuttle. Now the kids can be astronauts but they'll be passengers with the Russians. Just disappointing to me, I can only imagine how the people at NASA feel.

I'm amazed the russians can still afford to launch a rocket.......let alone keep it from exploding.....

reminds me of a russian launch video that used to be on youtube(IIRC) that has drunken sounding russian commenting on a rocket exploding on the launch pad....lol

Being in Huntsville, there was a lot of mixed feelings about the cancellation of the Ares project but it seemed like there were a lot of problems with it. There is lots of space stuff being done. It just isn't as visible as the space shuttle. Look at companies like ULA.

honestly, compared to some things our government spends money on.. NASA has a small budget and actually accomplishes things that benefit everyone..

No wonder they are cancelling the projects.

I personally would like to see a Shuttle II designed and built. It is a viable idea

It is sad to see it go, but realistically it is a very impracticable launch vehicle. The only real advantage it has is that it can bring things back, but I don't think that has been used much (maybe a few times?).

A re-usable vehicle seems like a great idea, but the reality of it is that the boosters and the tank are lost on launch, and the lander has to be significantly refurbished / inspected when it lands, so it ends up being way more expensive then just using disposable rocket.

Sad to see it go (the last launch is the next after this one I believe), but hopeful better will follow. I can see the reasoning for scaling down the program a bit for now but hopefully it will return to its former glory at some point.

Also of note is this:

A military program for an un-piloted mini-shuttle.

I have a feeling that uncle sam is relying heavily on the private sector for the next generation of american space exploration. The tech bits have gotten so routine and available, any group of MIT Weekend warriors are capable of moving the space age forward in their backyard. My guess is that during my lifetime, private trips to space will be affordable on a honeymoon budget. NASA did a hellufajob getting the country pointed in the right direction. But we can take it from here lol

In reply to aircooled:

the boosters parachute back to earth and are reused.......but the shuttle is almost completely rebuilt

Opps. Correct you are. Of course they still need to be rebuild also.

Boeing's X37B spent over 200 days on orbit,

SpaceX is a private firm in Florida which launched their first test payloads getting certified to fly unmanned to the ISS, with manned capsule in next few years

I'm in the industry and personally glad to see the last vestiges of Government run space access come to an end. I'm not sad at this country, I'm proud that we've gone from having to have government control to private run access. You need to remember, most rocket technology hasn't improved much since the Space Shuttle Main Engine came out nearly 30 years ago, and no offense but rocket science isn't all it used to be, I know I have graduate and post grad degrees from Georgia Tech to my name. The privatization of space is good for everyone...

I applaud the private-venture space stuff. I've followed Rutan and Virgin Galactic since the begining, and geeked out at Space Ship One in the Smithsonian. I love what Space-X has done and their commitment to the ISS.

I loathe that the once great and honorable NASA that brought us to the moon and had big ideas will soon cease to exist completely.

BTW, you can listen live to the Kennedy Space Center Communications at Radioreference.com for the final space shuttle Discovery launch scheduled today for 4:50 EST.

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=705

Or watch NASA TV live:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

To consider that we went from blowing up rockets on the launch pad in 1959 to the moon on top of the baddest ass rocket ever made in 1969, I'm extremely impressed. Yes there were SNAFUs along the way and some probably shoulda been cluster berkeleys.

I doubt NASA will cease to exist. They still do a massive amount of R&D. It isn't as noticeable as the Space Shuttle.

93EXCivic wrote: I doubt NASA will cease to exist. They still do a massive amount of R&D. It isn't as noticeable as the Space Shuttle.

Thanks! (sitting at Goddard now)

I'm in Huntsville too, and the owners of our company are all ex- high up NASA guys, including one from Von Braun's team back in the '60's. They are all not happy about the way NASA has been treated lately, non of which I can say on a public forum! But our company would not even exist without there having been a NASA.

The benefits of NASA have gone way beyond space. Much of what we use today in materials were developed by NASA, along with many other advancements in technology. Even small items such as the way trailers were structurally modernized to carry sensitive materials back and forth has made into everyday production. Component packaging is another area....and I could go on and on.

And there is also the "recruitment" factor. NASA has always inspired kids to go into math and science, and nothing works like sending something into space and watching it on TV. Although I would say that there is not much coverage of that lately.

In a round about way, even our advancements in microbiology have been influenced by NASA as well.

Hopefully it will not go away completely, as it's benefits are worth the investment many times over.

t minus 5 minutes...

Watching on NASA tv

Born the same month that Alan Shepard became the first American in space, I still want to be an astronaut.

Just took off!

It is always amazing to see that bird fly. The GRM office took a little 100 yard field trip to watch it take off down by the banks of the Intercoastal Waterway.

The amazing thing is you can see the shuttle take off clearly from 100 miles away if the weather is right.

The GRM offices are about 60 miles away from the Space Center give or take 10 miles or so.

Just tuned in to NASA tv and saw the launch. Seems like on the list of significant things the country has accomplished in the last 60 years - NASA was on top of the list.

Got to see the shuttle night launch in '95, we were roaming Florida in an RV after the Daytona 24 and drove up to the launch site.... what a power week that was !!

Some people think NASA is a waste of money. I choose to see it as proof that we have not ceased to be curious about the things we don't understand. The minute that we, as a nation, or species, look into space, shrug, and say "Berkeley it, I dunno" is the minute we prove ourselves unworthy.

Will wrote: Some people think NASA is a waste of money. I choose to see it as proof that we have not ceased to be curious about the things we don't understand. The minute that we, as a nation, or species, look into space, shrug, and say "Berkeley it, I dunno" is the minute we prove ourselves unworthy.

+235

Will for post of the month.

If everyone added a penny to their taxes we would be able to fund Nasa