NASA sends shuttle Discovery to pad for last time

[Starry Messenger]

Source: Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery is headed to the launch pad for the last time.

NASA moved Discovery out of its hangar Monday night. The 3 1/2-mile trip to the pad was bittersweet for the space agency, which has only two shuttle missions remaining.

Discovery is set to lift off Nov. 1 for the International Space Station. Endeavour will follow in February to wrap up 30 years of shuttle flight.

<snip>

Several hundred contract employees will lose their jobs Oct. 1 in a continuing wave of layoffs. NASA's future is uncertain because of disagreement in Washington over the next rocketships.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_space_shuttle

[OhioChick]

1. K&R

:(

[Starry Messenger]

2. Yeah, me too.

I grew up with the shuttle program. :(

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. .

:patriot:

[kestrel91316]

4. ....sniff...

:cry:

[iamthebandfanman]

12. +1

[w4rma]

5. They want to privatize NASA, too. (nt)

[Starry Messenger]

6. Yes.

That's what alarms me the most. What happens when Elon Musk gets bored of playing spaceman? I hate to see space fall into the hands of private interests.

[boppers]

7. Two boondoggles left.

So far, it's been our most fatal space system (14 killed so far), and didn't live up to a vast majority of its intended purpose.

[daleanime]

8. Shouldn't we have something else lined up....

Before we scrapped it? And I could be wrong, but wasn't it our most heavily used space system also?

[boppers]

11. Do you mean "our" as humans, or "our" as Americans?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_accidents_and_incidents

When compared by percentages, Soyuz is much lower, but with less public missions (and less staff per mission).

As far as replacement technologies:
a) We can continue to build out and work on the ISS via Soyuz
b) robotics have gotten to the point where we had the highly successful Mars Rovers
c) spaceflight has gotten to the point where private companies can/do launches as well
d) We already have a heavy lift launch program, that was expected to be completed two years before Constellation.

[MilesColtrane]

9. Watching the moon landing in 1969, I never thought I'd see...

the day when we no longer gave a shit about manned space exploration enough to maintain the minimum capability to put our astronauts into orbit.

It's a fucking sad day.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. When I was a kid, we used to watch the rockets lift off on TV in the classroom.

Back then, the whole world was watching. It really is a sad day. :(

[Hardrada]

13. I read lots of SF as a kid. I thought we'd colonies on Mars by now.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I agree with you. I thought that landing on the moon was just the first step...

:(

[Starry Messenger]

24. Same here.

This century is not going at all like I thought it was going to.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. That's a very good point. I feel the same way...

But then, neither is my life... :shrug:

[Daphne08]

15. I agree! n/t

[JCMach1]

17. Exactly...

[mbperrin]

20. Yes, it is. Voluntarily relinquishing leadership in the one enterprise

that has done more than any other to create today's world is short-sighted, stupid, and fatal.

Oh, well.

[Posteritatis]

28. And that's without getting into the idiots who don't believe the moon landing even happened

I'm sort of curious as to the overlap between them and the people cheering the gradual collapse of the US space program.

[Kringle]

16. the only useful thing the shuttle did, was take care of the Hubble

space telescope.

which the people at nasa,
did not even like doing.

[Xipe Totec]

18. You should really verify your facts from time to time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_shuttle_missions

[Starry Messenger]

19. Chock full of useful things there.

:thumbsup: Thank you.

[Nihil]

21. He's never bothered doing that before ...

... (in any of his many incarnations here at DU) so why expect him to change now?

:shrug:

[Regret My New Name]

25. Oh big deal.... all it did was lame science

I hate science!

[PNutt]

22. So Goes The Space Program, So Goes Technological Advancement

It was the NASA space program and it's unrealistic goal to send a man to the moon in the 1960's that led to such advancements as the personal computer, new metal alloys, printed circuit boards, microchips, advanced communications, food preservation, and so many others that all are commonplace in our daily lives today. The ending of the space program signifies the end of technological advancement for our next generations to come. Surely, an alternative fuel system could come from further space research. The GOBP are getting their way on this one.........do it their way, or don't do it at all. I am left to wonder how much of the military's budget it would take to continue the space program.

[Starry Messenger]

23. That's a good question PNutt.

I've never thought to break down the numbers from the military budget. Your first sentence is so on-point. Industry has benefited enormously from the advancements developed for the space program. You can bet that if anything is developed in the private sector in space corporations© we're not going to see anywhere as huge as the public benefit.

[PfcHammer]

26. Fortunately we have American Idle and Dancing with the Dolts to make up for it

:eyes:

[Uncle Joe]

29. Kicked and recommended for the space truck.

Thanks for the thread, Starry Messenger.

[Starry Messenger]

30. Thank you for the k & r, Uncle Joe

I wasn't sure people realized how big of a historical transition we're seeing with the end of this program, but it looks like we've got folks watching this. I'm glad for the company.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. Maybe we've exhausted manned exploration of space

We made it to the moon. No gold, no diamonds, no water to speak of. Just grey rocks. Cool as hell, hitting a golf ball half a mile, but then what?

Mars is too far away, takes too long to get there, and can't carry enough fuel for the return trip. So, even though there would be heroic volunteers for a one-way voyage, where's the benefit?

And the ISS is more of a money pit than a big yacht. Why throw more money at it?

There's still plenty of exploration to do using unmanned probes. Not as flashy, but probably more science per dollar.

:hi:

[Uncle Joe]

32. I believe humanity is just beginning manned space flight.

Flying to the moon was only the first baby step.

I'm all for unmanned probes and satellites to further scientific knowledge but I also believe the mastering of human space flight will become an ever increasing necessity to insure humanity's survival.

:hi:

[Starry Messenger]

33. What can I say? I'm a romantic when it comes to space.

The ISS is staying, AFAIK. There's been some dispute of how Americans are getting up there going forward without the Shuttle program. One plan was to go up with Buran, but there's some old commie hunters who weren't happy with that. The other option is renting space on privately run space vehicles. Here's a recent article giving a run-down on the dramatis personae: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/20/gallery-boeing-joins-start-up-companies-in-the-private-space-race/