The Last Shuttle Flight

shāf · **Joined:** Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:34 am **Posts:** 2748

Today, weather permitting, is the last launch of the Space Transportation System. I was asked on my Facebook account how I felt about it. Here's what I wrote:

Quote:

Mixed feelings. The shuttles are amazing technology, which contrary to popular belief, received continual improvement over their 30-year existence. I still feel sadness over the loss of the Challenger, Columbia and her crews. Unfortunately, the shuttles didn't live up to their promise of providing low-cost transportation to low-earth-orbit due to their complexity and man-rated requirement. As a nation, we need to commit to the next generation of NASA manned missions. Hopefully, they will involve more than visits to the International Space Station via Russian or private spacecraft.

Your thoughts?

Timelord · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:09 am

They never lived up to the hype that they originally stirred. Still,.. it is an end to an era and the closest thing we have ever had to the kind of "space ship" that previously had only been in our imaginations, TV shows and movies.

I'm sorry their promised potential was never realized and I'm sorry that those that get to be there when it takes off may be the last to ever see that sort of thing again.

(and I'm still pretty ticked that the Air Force Museum at WPAFB isn't getting one!)

Cybermonk · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 9:02 pm **Posts:** 1851

Many of the images we have all seen from inside the space shuttle have been from early on in the 80's. Here's what Discovery's flight deck looked like before her last trip complete with "glass cockpit" controls and modern computer systems. (Click for a larger picture.) That was a spaceship!

BTW, did you know the navigation computer on the first shuttle (Columbia) only had 64K of memory? Those were the days.

macmage · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:30 pm

Quote:

BTW, did you know the navigation computer on the first shuttle (Columbia) only had 64K of memory? Those were the days.

And it used OS-9, the same OS available for the Tandy Color Computer 3!

I didn't get to watch the launch live but I did get to listen to it. As I was listening to it, something really struck - none of us who have never seen a shuttle launch in person will never get to see one! I know that's a bit obvious but I don't think the reality of the shuttle program ending hit me until that moment. I'm sad to see it go but understand why it must.

I remember when Challenger was lost, I overheard someone say "It's about time something like this happens." I wanted to punch him!

Scorpiuscat · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:33 pm

This would not be so tragic and sad if we had something in place to replace it, but as it is, the shuttle programs was 2 giant leaps forward for mankind and one giant leap backwards for America at its end.

Waylander · **Joined:** Sat Oct 21, 2006 12:49 pm **Posts:** 548

Canceling the Shuttle Program without anything to replace it is a slap in the face to everyone who worked on putting the US into Space.

It's a Goddam Travesty and the people responsible should be ashamed to call themselves Americans.

Scorpiuscat · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:53 pm

Waylander wrote:

Canceling the Shuttle Program without anything to replace it is a slap in the face to everyone who worked on putting the US into Space.

It's a Goddam Travesty and the people responsible should be ashamed to call themselves Americans.

Could not have said it better myself =D>

macmage · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2011 4:54 am

And I heard that astronauts needing to get to the space station will need to hitch a ride on a commercial spacecraft! Say what?!

The Last Shuttle Flight

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