Aww shuttle ground crew just said goodbye

[supernova]

All the guys who prep the shuttle for launches just finished their job for today and each held up a special "thank you" sign for the cctv.

"Thanks for 30 years of working with these magnificent machines"

Too fast to post at the same time, but I'm sure NASA TV will rerun it.

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

[gateley]

1. It's sad -- I know it's whoppingly expensive and we need

funds elsewhere, but farewell to a golden era. :(

Lots of excitement, lots of hope.

[Morning Dew]

6. We need NASA's funding for air conditioning.

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/among-the-costs-of-war-20b-in-air-conditioning

The amount the U.S. military spends annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion, according to a former Pentagon official.

That's more than NASA's budget. It's more than BP has paid so far for damage from the Gulf oil spill. It's what the G-8 has pledged to help foster new democracies in Egypt and Tunisia.

"When you consider the cost to deliver the fuel to some of the most isolated places in the world — escorting, command and control, medevac support — when you throw all that infrastructure in, we're talking over $20 billion," Steven Anderson tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Rachel Martin. He's a retired brigadier general who served as chief logistician for Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq. He's now in the private sector, selling technologies branded as energy-efficient to the Defense Department.

:(

[gateley]

7. It just STUNS me that the wars and taxes don't even seem to be

topics seriously being discussed in the debt talks. Well, maybe taxes, but nowhere near what we need. ALL we hear about is Medicare, Social Security.

This example is just a drop in the bucket of how much we're overpaying for war stuff. No wonder we're broke! Yet the Republicans want to cut back revenue even further. Insane.

[Morning Dew]

11. Completely insane.

They talk about how the government has to live within its means like families do.

Unlike Republicans, when families have a financial problem, they don't actively seek ways to cut their own income.

[SwampG8r]

2. not likely to launch today

weather here is cloudy windy storms building in the west
they may not get it off today

[gateley]

8. Ooh --ooh -- Tamron Hall said at THIS MOMENT it's a go!

[SwampG8r]

12. our weather is very variable here

the last one went up in a tiny window with strange wind so if they have the shot they will take it
any launch is 50/50
i live about 25 miles south and have my whole life from the early fireworks shows right through today
my dad was an instrumentation engineer for all the early launches until apollo ran out
i saw her get off and she was awesome as i write this i am waiting for the rumble to get here
usually a few minutes
and there it goes
still gives me a thrill
godspeed atlantis

[gateley]

14. Just reading your post gave me chills. Godspeed, indeed.

So far, so good and continued safe journey! :patriot:

[Blue_Tires]

3. sad kick...

I was a child in a time where we all believed NASA could do anything, and that by this time we'd be colonizing Mars or something...They still used to stop class and wheel in the TV so we could watch the shuttle launches...

hopefully they get the green light for the next project sooner rather than later...

[ThatsMyBarack]

4. Out with the Concorde....

Makes me too sad to click that link... :(

[gateley]

9. On MSNBC the guy w/Tamron said they just got the "God speed" msg

from NASA, that it's the last time they'll be giving that go-ahead.

I feel like I'm watching a loved one die - this has been a PART of our lives for so long! :cry:

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Yeah. I know what you mean. :^(

[Blue_Tires]

5. video link

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/135_splash/index.html

[sonias]

10. Thank you!

They got a lucky break today on the weather. Hope they have a great time. Last time for the wonderful shuttle launches.

Thank you NASA!
:patriot: