Last Shuttle Launch Lifts Off

[privateinvestor]

<photo resized by moon>

[Deleted]

Watched it live on NBC, wished I could of been there. In 30 years, never got to go there and see an in person shuttle launch.

[privateinvestor]

Being at the Cape during a launch is awesome and the ground shakes even at the VAB or at a bar in Cocoa Beach at night..

[ed1066]

Praying for a safe mission. Now that Obama has killed NASA, are we bumming rides from the Russians?

[Mkitty is pro kitty]

Now that Obama has killed NASA

Here's a conservative choose your own adventure! It's called "Who cut the program?"

You're a conservative and some federal program got cut. What do you do?

Did the Republicans cut the program? Turn to statement 1. Did Obama cut the program? Turn to statement 2.

1. Hooray, it saves us money! The country is broke, [insert conservative buzzphrase du jour here]! Take that, overbloated government that can't live within its means and spends wastefully!
2. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!1! How dare you, Obama!!!1!

[Deleted]

;D

[ed1066]

It's called "Who cut the program?"

Oh, only the space exploration part got cut. NASA's new mission is Muslim outreach, but you already knew that, right?

In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.” Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments.

In the same interview, Bolden also said the United States, which first sent men to the moon in 1969, is no longer capable of reaching beyond low earth orbit without help from other nations.

Bolden made the statements during a recent trip to the Middle East. He told al-Jazeera that in the wake of the president’s speech in Cairo last year, the American space agency is now pursuing “a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.” Then:

When I became the NASA Administrator — before I became the NASA Administrator — [Obama] charged me with three things: One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.

washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/obama-s-new-mission-nasa-reach-out-muslim-world

[privateinvestor]

Jul 8, 2011 12:05:40 GMT -5 Mkitty is pro kitty said:

Now that Obama has killed NASA

Here's a conservative choose your own adventure! It's called "Who cut the program?"

You're a conservative and some federal program got cut. What do you do?

Did the Republicans cut the program? Turn to statement 1. Did Obama cut the program? Turn to statement 2.

1. Hooray, it saves us money! The country is broke, [insert conservative buzzphrase du jour here]! Take that, overbloated government that can't live within its means and spends wastefully!
2. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!1! How dare you, Obama!!!1!

Obama Cuts NASA Funding

Friday, February 5, 2010

There was a time when Americans had the right stuff and boldly led the world in going where no man had gone before. Apparently, that time has passed. Barack Obama's 2011 NASA budget request will effectively terminate America's manned space flight program, leaving space exploration leadership to the Chinese and the Russians.

Obama's new plans, which laughably claim to be a "bold new approach," would terminate NASA's Constellation Program, which would have replaced the retiring Space Shuttles with a new crew vehicle, as well as building the new launchers required to get America back to the moon and on to Mars.

This plan leans heavily on commercial space companies to develop new vehicles to get U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Although the time frame is left open, it's certainly not any time soon. In the meantime, the U.S. will pay the Russians for taxi rides to the ISS.

On the other hand, Obama's plan would expand NASA's role in earth climate observations, apparently in hopes of further propping up the collapsing global warming fraud. In short, the U.S. is left with no vision, no destination, and no inspiration.

While there are legitimate questions about the federal government's role in space flight, and we applaud the move to push development of private space enterprises, the U.S. space program, or lack thereof, has national security implications. Apollo and its forerunners were a powerful weapon in the Cold War, and NASA's technological innovations and considerable world prestige clearly helped to defeat the Soviet Union. What would the impact be on the U.S. if, in the year 2020, we're treated to beautiful, hi-def images from the moon of Chinese taikonauts at Tranquility Base, kicking down the American flag and replacing it, permanently, with a Chinese flag?

If humanity is going to the stars, however quickly or slowly, shouldn't Americans be leading the way?


patriotpost.us/perspective/2010/02/05/obama-cuts-nasa-funding/

[floridayankee]

Jul 8, 2011 11:26:33 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Watched it live on NBC, wished I could of been there. In 30 years, never got to go there and see an in person shuttle launch.

It's actually flooding in the Tampa area from all the rain. I was hoping like hell they would cancel it and try tomorrow so I could take a ride over there. I did a "current events" report in school on the first launch in '81. Been fascinated ever since and now I'll never see a launch close up.

[floridayankee]

Jul 8, 2011 11:49:45 GMT -5 @ed1066 said:

Praying for a safe mission. Now that Obama has killed NASA, are we bumming rides from the Russians?

According to the AP, the previous contract between the US and Russia was $53 million per astronaut per flight and that the new contract will be for a total of $753 million for flights to be conducted from 2014 to 2016.

Considering each shuttle launch runs around $450 million, we still stand to save quite a bit.

[deziloooooo]

The next step if funded...

"http://beta.news.yahoo.com/atlantis-final-launch-nasas-space-shuttle-sets-orion-124028534.html"

[ed1066]

Jul 8, 2011 12:34:35 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Jul 8, 2011 11:49:45 GMT -5 @ed1066 said:

Praying for a safe mission. Now that Obama has killed NASA, are we bumming rides from the Russians?

According to the AP, the previous contract between the US and Russia was $53 million per astronaut per flight and that the new contract will be for a total of $753 million for flights to be conducted from 2014 to 2016.

Considering each shuttle launch runs around $450 million, we still stand to save quite a bit.

Yes, until they decide not to include us anymore, so they can build platforms and weapons in peace without us pesky Americans looking over their shoulders...

[privateinvestor]

Jul 8, 2011 12:34:35 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Jul 8, 2011 11:49:45 GMT -5 @ed1066 said:

Praying for a safe mission. Now that Obama has killed NASA, are we bumming rides from the Russians?

According to the AP, the previous contract between the US and Russia was $53 million per astronaut per flight and that the new contract will be for a total of $753 million for flights to be conducted from 2014 to 2016.

Considering each shuttle launch runs around $450 million, we still stand to save quite a bit.

Try telling that to the 13,000 NASA employees who lost their jobs

[Deleted]

We still have spaceflight, just not the heavy lifting to low orbit manned spaceflight. The down side of this is unclear at this point. The current international space station was never intended to be a base or step off point for further out trips, so who knows what the loss of ability to carry large heavy items into orbit for construction will entail.

[dancinmama]

I must say that it is a very sad day for DH and I. We began our professional careers, right out of college, working on the space shuttle program. It was a very exciting time. The work was challenging and rewarding.

DH left the program before I did. We felt having our income eggs in one basket, so to speak, was probably not the best idea. A couple of years later, when the west coast space shuttle program was canceled, we decided that the timing was right for starting a family. I worked on the close out contract for over a year and then took the pregnancy route to retirement.

It is absolutely amazing that the United States of America, the "greatest nation on earth", will have no way to launch man into space.

[floridayankee]

Jul 8, 2011 12:37:33 GMT -5 @privateinvestor said:

Try telling that to the 13,000 NASA employees who lost their jobs

I love the shuttle as much as anyone. But, in these days of $1.5 trillion dollar deficits, this is just another program we cannot afford. Time to face the fact that we can't have everything we want any more....even the ones we may personally like / support. If there's money to be made in space, commercial enterprises will figure out how to make it work.

[privateinvestor]

The debate now in Washington DC is should Private Industry or NASA fund future Space Exploration. However because of the Debt Issues you could see Private Industry i.e., ..Orion or Boeing be the main players I think ??

[handyman2]

Having been to more than one shuttle shot and been behind the scenes off and on since it started I hate to see it go. But as far as the human body can survive with current technology they have been about as far as they can go with the manned flights.
Traveling deeper into space as a human we nor any one else have the technology to accomplish it. just think if you were born on a deep space probe, you would be old before you got back. The distance is just to great and the stresses unbearable.
We can learn just as much at this point using the satellite telescope technology we have now.
We can put replacement satellites in space without the shuttle and far cheaper.
The space station and the program have given us wonderful technologies by brilliant people but it's at a point where the continued return is not worth the cost. I seriously doubt the Russians will continue on for very long.
If we are to continue on we need at this point new technologies to learn about deep space. Our solar system is no longer a mystery to us. What is beyond is the new question.
They talk about commercializing the shuttle, a quaint thought but I would not invest in it. Will be a long time before it shows any return if at all.
The space program is an American technological marvel and will be missed but all things must end. GOD SPEED and to a safe return of our astronauts.

[cereb]

Jul 8, 2011 20:02:12 GMT -5 handyman2 said:

Having been to more than one shuttle shot and been behind the scenes off and on since it started I hate to see it go. But as far as the human body can survive with current technology they have been about as far as they can go with the manned flights.
Traveling deeper into space as a human we nor any one else have the technology to accomplish it. just think if you were born on a deep space probe, you would be old before you got back. The distance is just to great and the stresses unbearable.
We can learn just as much at this point using the satellite telescope technology we have now.
We can put replacement satellites in space without the shuttle and far cheaper.
The space station and the program have given us wonderful technologies by brilliant people but it's at a point where the continued return is not worth the cost. I seriously doubt the Russians will continue on for very long.
If we are to continue on we need at this point new technologies to learn about deep space. Our solar system is no longer a mystery to us. What is beyond is the new question.
They talk about commercializing the shuttle, a quaint thought but I would not invest in it. Will be a long time before it shows any return if at all.
The space program is an American technological marvel and will be missed but all things must end. GOD SPEED and to a safe return of our astronauts.

Thanks for saying what I was thinking, it saved me the effort of typing. K to you!