The Furious Angels
FA Discussion => Off Topic => Topic started by: Revalis on February 24, 2011, 02:52:10 pm
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For anyone interested, today everything is go for launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery -- it'll be the last flight of the shuttle.
Countdown is frozen at T-minus 9minutes and schedule to start again in around 30min for a 4:50EST Launch..
You can watch live on NASA TV:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
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Last flight for Discovery, but Endeavour and Atlantis are still set to launch this year for missions STS-134 and STS-135 respectively.
I would like to see at least one of these launches in person. I've been in Florida all my life, and have never seen a launch up close.
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Last flight for Discovery, but Endeavour and Atlantis are still set to launch this year for missions STS-134 and STS-135 respectively.
I would like to see at least one of these launches in person. I've been in Florida all my life, and have never seen a launch up close.
If by up close you mean over a mile away :-)
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Last time I saw one I was a kid. My family has been involved with the space program for as long as I can remember. I can't even remember how many astronauts I've had dinner with. The last shuttle I saw we were given special "VIP" area access which was much closer than the public viewing, but because of security concerns they no longer have them... boo.
It's definitely something worth seeing if you ever have the chance. I would really like to get my wife down there for one fo the last ones as well.
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Just an idea, but maybe that [a shuttle launch viewing] should be our next FA get together. I've been telling my wife I'd like to go see a shuttle launch ever since I heard they were ending them.
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Sounds bit expensive...
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Atlantis (STS-135) should hopefully be launching soon, if anyone is interested in watching. ;(
41minute hold at T -9.
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/135_splash/index.html
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I'll be heading down there for the delta launch in September... if anyone is in the area.
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Just an idea, but maybe that [a shuttle launch viewing] should be our next FA get together. I've been telling my wife I'd like to go see a shuttle launch ever since I heard they were ending them.
Haha, nice idea. My Dad lives quite near, so could work for me!
Of course, likely the shuttle would be delayed on that day...
As someone said thoug, might be a bit pricey.
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Just an idea, but maybe that [a shuttle launch viewing] should be our next FA get together. I've been telling my wife I'd like to go see a shuttle launch ever since I heard they were ending them.
Haha, nice idea. My Dad lives quite near, so could work for me!
Of course, likely the shuttle would be delayed on that day...
As someone said thoug, might be a bit pricey.
LOL, note bolded quote and time of posting and you'll understand why i'm laughing
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Yup... what a milestone for the current administration to be proud of....
After today the US will no longer even be able to launch a man into even low earth orbit....
Geniuses are giving it all to mother russia and the chinese... But what the hey, they love communists up there in the White House.
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Hey, instead of giving away funding to intelligent engineers and thinkers...
We need to give it away to all the ghetto sloths out there who call the mortgage company for help changing a light bulb in their 'new house' (true story) and then get a free million dollar MRI procedure on the latest technology!
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Just an idea, but maybe that [a shuttle launch viewing] should be our next FA get together. I've been telling my wife I'd like to go see a shuttle launch ever since I heard they were ending them.
Haha, nice idea. My Dad lives quite near, so could work for me!
Of course, likely the shuttle would be delayed on that day...
As someone said thoug, might be a bit pricey.
LOL, note bolded quote and time of posting and you'll understand why I'm laughing
Ooops! Go easy :D - I just got back from an awful 18hr ferry journey with kids not sleeping, and a drive up back home... plus reading this thread on my blackberry!!! I was talking about the September drone launch that someone mentioned - I thought that was the last shuttle launch.
:p
If you guys are not spending cash on the shuttle programs for now (I know there is new technology planned if I recall), does this mean budget will be redirected somewhere.. more useful?
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Just an idea, but maybe that [a shuttle launch viewing] should be our next FA get together. I've been telling my wife I'd like to go see a shuttle launch ever since I heard they were ending them.
Haha, nice idea. My Dad lives quite near, so could work for me!
Of course, likely the shuttle would be delayed on that day...
As someone said thoug, might be a bit pricey.
LOL, note bolded quote and time of posting and you'll understand why I'm laughing
....I don't get it.... Did I miss something important?
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Ket posted his comment, joking about how the shuttle would be delayed that day (I think he was unaware that he posted it ON THE DAY OF THE LAUNCH) and that his posting was actually just within a few minutes of the actual launch.
...So obviously it wasn't that delayed.
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If you guys are not spending cash on the shuttle programs for now (I know there is new technology planned if I recall), does this mean budget will be redirected somewhere.. more useful?
I had hoped they'd have more money to fund ME! But apparently, they won't... and where all my projects used to be vehicle focused (a la Constellation, Ares, LCROSS, etc) apparently now our mission directive is the 'human experience' in space.
The ISS falls under the directorate that I'm contracted with, though, so maybe I'll get some cool ISS-related projects... but the current list of experiments that are being done aren't very.. erm.. exciting. But apparently more robots are going to be sent up to accompany R2 and help take over the more menial maintenance tasks to free up the Astronauts to do more interesting things. Guess we'll see.
Edit:
Also worth mentioning, the US isn't giving up crew transport into space altogether. The task of building crew transport just moved to the private sector instead of the government sector. Supposedly NASA is supposed to focus on 'beyond Low-Earth Orbit' while commercial companies (i.e., SpaceX) focus on getting us TO LEO.
But until the commercial sector is ready, Russia is being nice enough to let us hitch a ride. ;)
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But until the commercial sector is ready, Russia is being smart enough to take our money. ;)
Fixed.
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I think that privatization has been long overdue for LEO. I am curious as to how they plan to tackle deep space exploration projects. forgo earth based launch and move on to something like a dedicated spacecraft, or keep beating our heads into the wall with large energy expenditures of first defying gravity then pursuing long range space travel.
personally i dont see why we have to do both with one craft, if we build a dedicated spacecraft in space (i.e. using the space station as a docking platform) and ferry supplies to the ship then let it travel longer distances, we dont have to focus so much on energy expenditures.
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Never send the Russians in to do America's job!
http://news.discovery.com/space/will-the-space-station-be-abandoned-110827.html