Final Space Shuttle Launch
As a high school freshman, I remember watching the launch of the first shuttle, Columbia, in 1981.
Today is the swan song for the shuttle program:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA has cleared the space shuttle Atlantis for its final planned launch on Friday afternoon as the U.S. space agency prepares to retire its aging three-shuttle fleet later this year.
Atlantis and a crew of six astronauts are poised to launch toward the International Space Station in what will be the 25-year-old shuttle’s 32nd and last planned spaceflight. Liftoff is set for Friday at 2:20 p.m. EDT (1820 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The president, as you know, announced that he’ll soon be dramatically retooling the space program in order to focus on achieving the Obama administration’s ultimate goal of landing a man on Elena Kagan.
You can watch the launch live here. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. Godspeed to all on board!
Update: As some commenters have pointed out, this is the third-to-last shuttle flight overall, but the last for Atlantis.
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Retooling of our space shuttle program by a tool.
Yes, a swan song for the space shuttle. The Obama Administration may be a swan song for the nation. Or at least for fiscal responsibility.
Tigerlady, the space shuttle program retooled by a tool or a fool? Suppose either one works
I remember the same as a high school senior.
I also remember that knot in my stomach when hearing the Challenger news on the radio while driving to work……..at Morton Thiokol.
Excellent.
So blindfolds will now be part of the flightsuit?
The last I heard there might be a problem with low clouds, I hope things have cleared up. Yes, indeed, God’s speed.
L
What are htey going to replace it with, a solar powered Yugo?!
htey = they (slap!)
I tend to suspect that will NEVER happen.
The way I understand it, this is only the final flight of that particular shuttle. There are still two more in the fleet, both of which are scheduled to be retired by the end of the year.
Hard to believe all you puppies weren’t glued to the B&W TV to see Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon. Stunning. Now instead of exploring the Universe we make up climate myths.
Houston, we have a problem.
And you thought Apollo 13 was an impossible mission!
Yes, God’s Speed.
Too bad we now have to pay the Russian’s to take us to the Space Station. Smart Power, pfft.
Aloha-
I remember that as a kid. At the time, that was the coolest thing ever! That was when Americans thought they could do anything. How pathetically far we have come.
I remember the Captain reading the radio message over the 1MC, saying that the Columbia had taken off and was in a safe orbit. You could hear the cheers from the torpedo room all the way back to the shaft.
It was exciting to be American back in those days. Hopefully we’ll feel the same way after Barry Soetoro finishes his one term, just like Jimmah Codder.
A little history, I was on the first rev support for the first Shuttle Launch and it was one of the busiest and most rewarding things I have ever done. Now I am looking at a shell of our once great Space Program and am just plain sick in my stomach.
LOL…. awesome.
Dennis Miller’s gonna be P.O.’ed that he didn’t come up with that one first.
either works for me. He’s a fool for believing his radical beliefs but he’s a tool for acting on them. His goal is the destruction of our country.
Definitely the Wrong Stuff.
Where do you place the flag?
You are not alone.
Hope the astronauts get there and back safely. But the Americans should be embarrassed by the shuttle.
It was sold as a easy way to space. Inexpensive, reusable, quick turn around back to regular scheduled flights into space.
Basically it is a flying bus on a controlled explosion. The iphone has more technology than the space shuttle.
We should have already come up with a much better alternative. How about a mag-lev gun that catapults a spaceship into space instead of an explosion? Space elevator would be great and safe.
No, we are still primitive with the space shuttle. Time for the next generation of spacecraft. good riddance to the shuttle.
Talk about going Where No Man Has Gone Before…
There are some place man was not ment to go.
Not even Chuck Yeager could tame that wild ride!
In an unrelated story China announced that later this year it will start construction of a permamently manned base on the moon complete with nuclear weapons (for research puropses ofcourse)
Perhaps Kagan’s face lost a few tiles during the last re-entry…..
On a serious note, the Obama administrations willingness to just drop the Shuttle program with no plans to develop a newer more versatile vehicle is just plain dumb. He talks about Mars as a ruse. He has no plans to follow through on any space program. His plan is to do nothing and let other countries lead in space exploration. He on the other hand has other plans for our money…. that involve the SEIU and others.
Try to get your kids to watch the launch. Or DVR it for them. There won’t be another if the libs have their way.
Minor correction:
It is the final launch for Atlantis, but there are two more “final launches” yet to come… one each for Discovery and Endeavour…
Well Doug, that augered in pretty fast. Putting a man on Kegan indeed. Next you’ll tell us that Helen Thomas is a babe.
On May 14th, 2010 at 1:49 pm, ThackerAgency said:
I’m always interested in how something was “sold” versus comparing that to the “actual results”. Both in technology projects and in government programs, of which the Shuttle program is both.
Yes, but the quality of that technology, at least in terms of the software, is very, very high:
You continue:
I think a SpaceShipOne is a wise design, using a regular aircraft to get to a certain altitude, thus lessening the amount of rocket power necessary to reach orbit.
Even with the loss of 14 lives and two orbiters to catastophic failures, it’s still hard to say goodbye to the shuttle program.
Obamas mission is to drive America into Marxist oblivion. Our mission is to stop him and his army of imps.
She was a babe, until Zeus punished her for the sin of pride.
Thacker makes a good point. These shuttles ought to be superseded, not just retired.
BTW, I’m hoping that the National Museum of the United States Air Force gets one of the retired shuttles. It’ll be great to show the kids how awesome things were, and maybe inspire them to how awesome they can be again, unless the “progressives” ruin everything like they want to.
/Gratuitous plug for the National Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Come visit it soon.
It’s the last launch of Atlantis, but there are 3 more launches scheduled. Endeavor is scheduled to be the last, in November.
It’s the end of an era, but let the private market take over. It’ll be cheaper and more efficient.
I’m showing my age, but I remember Al Shepard’s flight, in school. In those days, class could be interrupted to show any important event. I threw some paper up in a cheer and it cost me detention that afternoon. These days, there isn’t anything in space to tax or rule, so Obama isn’t interested. Meanwhile China will soon be looking down on us.
Hey! MM said to “behave!”
“Release the Kagan.”
Sorry to say I’m with the naysayers on one critical point, which is: The Space Shuttle, although a marvel of engineering, has always been an albatross from a macro-level design standpoint.
When you have a fleet of aircraft with a 40% failure rate (5 shuttles, 2 of which ended in multiple-fatality disasters), you’ve got a problem.
At it’s core, the essential problem is this: Given the immutable laws of physics, and the limits of materials technology, it is fool’s errand to lauch both people and their stuff from the same vehicle from ground zero.
What should have been developed from the start is a system to two separate vehicle-types:
One small and nimble and exceedingly safe, for transporting only the humans; and, the other a monster mega-ship for separately lifting up all their stuff.
The smaller vehicle would thus have a much faster turnaround time (especially valuable for emergency situations). And, the larger freight vehicle, being free from the burdon of carrying people, could be truly massive (and thus more efficient).
Yes, docking a large un-manned freighter in space, and enabling it to return to earth in a recoverable and re-usable way, would be a challenge, but it could’ve been done.
Well, now I’m confused. I thought manned space flight was about “slipping the surley bonds of earth…and touching the face of God!” Landing on Kagan would be a difficult feat, but seems somewhat less inspiring, no?
My uncle, Ernest Dishman, was one of the very few black engineers out the ialand at Grumman working on the LEM during Apollo and he once related how Boeing was looking for people to work on the X-20 DynaSoar’s proposed booster spaceplane (in place of Titan) subcontract which was nipped in the bud by McCanara (?), but before he passed he howled not only that DynaSoar was canceled (which also killed having a space shuttle in the mid-sixties), but how X-20 project designers were miffed that North American didn’t even bother to glean their data and propriety non-tile heat shield system. It was a non-lesson learning “not built by us” attitude that had fatal consequences. The same bad judgement was used when they literally destroyed(!) all the blueprints of the Saturn V so to placate North American that there’d be no shuttle alternative — a motion we are now learning was a bad way to go, since we’re spending a fortune recreating the wheel — er, a quasi-Saturn V in Constellation — and Constellation is STILL an old dog! It wasn’t NASA’s fault — it was always a pennywise pound-foolish Congress who have a fifth-grade science quotient. Another thing Ernest always felt NASA PR and public relations should’ve been run by Cronkite and Arthur Clarke. A few minutes ago Fox had a astronaut guest on to talk about Atlantis’s launch alnd all he could talk about how thrilling a ride it was. HELLO! You gotta explain/justify a launch on more than just on giving a few people a good ride! You got to explain the science and biomed and physics experiments and potential that makes all worth the risk! When I was on the beach watching (well it was a foggy day) the last Saturn V – Skylab go up, a lot of the spectators didn’t even understand what Skylab was about! One guy said to me — I swear — “er, yea, well thery can take showers in space now”! Way to go with public education NASA!
Well, let’s hope Atlantis finds a friendly final berth when she lands, like maybe NYC!
James Greenidge
Queens NY
The new Obowma PC space program. Large Leftwing Lunar Ladies! Michelle O! – “Spud Butnik”
Gives new meaning to, “The Eagle has landed.”
Every time I see a launch it brings back great memories and one bad one. I was lucky to be stationed at Edwards AFB and saw the following:
First time they mated the 747 and Shuttle and ran it down the runway. First flight of the 747/Shuttle. First time they separated the shuttle from the 747 and landed the shuttle. First time it came back from space at Edwards. Sadly I was on duty at Buckley when the shuttle was lost shortly after launch. Still brings chills watching it go up and return!
EJECT…EJECT…EJECT!!!
Garth Algar: Sometimes I wish I could boldly go where no man has gone before… but I’ll probably stay in Aurora. What are you thinking about?
Wayne Campbell: Helen. She’s a fox. In French she would be called “la renarde” and she would be hunted with only her cunning to protect her.
Garth Algar: She’s a babe.
Wayne Campbell: She’s a robo-babe. In Latin she would be called “babia majora”.
Garth Algar: If she were a president she would be Baberaham Lincoln.
[a brief pause]
Garth Algar: Did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he put on a dress and played girl bunny?
Wayne Campbell: No.
[cracks up laughing]
Wayne Campbell: No.
Garth Algar: Neither did I. I was just asking.
In Kagan’s case it would be “The Beagle has landed!”
Obama hates the current space program because it is one of those thing, no matte how many times you see it, you are amazed what we can do and learn. This creates a level of pride in America. Obama hates America.
Not so fast, Bill Clinton is still alive.
Yeah, but is Little Willie Lump Lump still alive?
The space shuttle is a perfect metaphor for everything wrong with NASA and the US government.
The shuttle program was supposed to be cheaper, safer and allow for a fast turn around and more launches. In the end, it was more expensive, we lost more astronauts than in any other program, and turn around was horrifically slow. And now we have no alternative for heavy lift.
I suggest they turn the space program over to the DMZ. They aren’t faster but at least I have never died while trying to get my drivers license renewed…
Are you kidding? Do you know how many people have died of old age waiting at the DMV?
Yeah, but ultimately that reduced carbon emissions and overpopulation plus I think it was by design just showing how DMV is better than NASA…
While this is the final launch of Atlantis, it is not the final shuttle launch. According to the link provided above, there are two more scheduled:
Obama’s space program is to use a big rubber band to shoot payloads into space.
In a surprise announcement Eric Holder has not read the plan and nobody knows if Elena Kagan has a position on the program…
I was hoping, while I was still alive, to see a base on the moon. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wouldn’t be long before the base would be swarming with illegals, cooking and cleaning everything.
no offense to Beagle’s intended??
I remember enjoying listening-in on the launches of the space shuttle while flying long Patrol missions in the Navy. I was very proud of our astronauts. It is sad to see the shuttle program end with, apparently, nothing to take it’s place. What a shame. I guess it is part of the administration’s plan to cancel anything and everything that might instill pride in American’s hearts.
Mars is out there waiting. We should have been there a long time ago.
prendad said:
P3 or ARIA
yes, the last launch for Atlantis. The program gets moth-balled in October.
To Gorebot’s point, yes. This has been a risky endeavor. One where the risks came to be realized in the worst possible way. But I suspect if you ask the shuttle astronauts whether they would have prefer to not have the program, or have it with these risks, they’d probably choose the latter.
That said, and this may be more to your point, is that a different program needed to be developed. One possibly as your described where the risks for human life was lessened significantly.
One point I would dispute though. I would not put the failure rate at 40%. You have to look at missions flown vs missions completed safely. 130/132 to date? That’s a success rate of about 98.5%. Pretty damn good for a feat like the shuttle program. Though I agree we could have and should have done better.
Alas our clueless president rather than inspire America (at a time where inspiration would be a very good thing) he says…. done. No pride or inspiration in his White House.
My 13 yr old son was crushed to learn that this was it. As of this year, the manned space program is all but dead for the US.
I certainly hope our next president has the vision to inspire a nation.
The more this one does, the more I think he is our enemy.
Oh, you’re the guy that would make us go up to periscope depth and raise all our masts so that you could locate us.
I remember the very first shuttle flight in 1981. Woke up very early to see it lift off, saw it land during class at school.
Both NASA and the private sector should have been working on the next generation of spacecraft years ago but I just think there’s little motivation about space exploration anymore. People don’t see the value in it like they did in the ’60s. Now we have an administration that is cutting NASA’s budget so it can bail out a failing socialist country. Bleah.
Oh, you’re the guys we had to drop old out-of-date gallon cans of food over the side to see if we could ping something off you, because we couldnt locate you. Then you’d would pop flares at us to show we were dead…. made us want to swim over there and sink you by hand…
They would roll a cart with the TV on it into our classroom for us to watch the shuttle launches/landings. I always thought the shuttle would crash during landing in the early days – not when it was up in the air.
The morning Challenger exploded is the only day in 12 years I ever skipped a real day of school.
That’s submerge, not sink, you S.P.
Doug, Doug, Doug, Doug – you are the man!!
I am hugely fond of MM as I think she is the best woman on the face of the earth, but when it comes to conservative political blog commentators, I like variety more than Perez Hilton at the VIP lounge of his favourite gay strip club.
Thanks for making me laugh today with your excellent post.
As for putting a man on Elena Kagan, are you going start giving odds are either outcome?
Are we talking gender re-assignment surgery or missionary position here?
No one would agree to partake in missionary position with Kagan – it would have to be done in the same way in which man’s best friend does it. But unlike dogs, a bottle of Jack Daniels coupled with an anti-nauseant would be a must.
MM, please don’t kick me off for that comment. I still did refrain myself from what I wanted to type.
Truthfully, despite what I write regarding Kagan’s lack of beauty, I really don’t dislike ugly people. I myself belong to that group and it is we ugly people that give attractive people an asset that they can use. However, Kagan’s support of all things liberal, including communism, is what makes me want to mock her for everything and anything.
Well said,123upnorth.
I, too, am not too easy on the eyes.
My comments are gender related. She may not be butch, but she wears the uniform.
P-3, VP-23, VP-46.
HA! Found you again!
Wow, we got three branches of the Navy in this blog.
” . . . to focus on achieving the Obama administration’s ultimate goal of landing a man on Elena Kagan.”
Tepidly funny, but so wrong, so definitely wrong.
If we have to cut spending, then cut spending, and if it is your, or my, ox getting gored then so be it.
You either support spending cuts, or you don’t. Accounting for ‘people’ in space adds additional costs to missions that can be accomplished without ‘people’.
Two more launches; September (Discovery) and November(Endeavor). This is the last one for THIS Shuttle.
submerge is making a presumption we intended for you to merge again
Well met, Rabbid!
That joke is a bit mean spirited. But I confess I just about blew coffee all over my monitor nevertheless. I’ll bet that’s the kind of change she couldn’t believe in!
Atlantis launch today was beautiful, but sadly, this was her curtain call.
Did the desks catch fire or anything? :0
One of you was Village People?!
Just like some of us more seasoned citizens, I remember those fuzzy B&W launches of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. I find it disturbing that we are not doing anything else to stay in space (other than paying for a ride on someone else’s platform). Wished I had paid closer attention about today’s launch. Wouldn’t had made a difference since I was eastbound @ 31,000 ft over Ohio @ launch time with lousy weather around.
God Speed Atlantis.
Crap! Seeing you comment reminds me I need to forget “Island Time” and go back to bed. A hui ho all!
On May 14th, 2010 at 1:32 pm, stillontheroad said:
Now I am looking at a shell of our once great Space Program and am just plain sick in my stomach
Agreeded 100%. We no longer seem to be willing to do anything unless its to make Mexicans or the UN happy. Ahh how far we’ve fallen, wonder if we’ll ever get a replacement, or pay the Russians for the next 50 years to take us. OR maybe we’ll write Nasa off as a waste of money (nvm it tends to give a nice big profit). From going to the moon, to watching the Chinese Plant a Red Flag into the Red Planet is what I’l wager we’ll see, that is if we get away from American Idol long enough to bother and see it.
Maybe I sound too simplistic, but back then it was our sense of hazardous adventure and undiluted wonder fed by our imaginations that made the Space Program such an awesome experience to live, but nowadays with whiz-bang movie/video special effects and gee-whiz entertainment products usurping the need for imagination, reality looks “mundane” and bland to too many people. The last and only film for me that used SPX to enhance — not proxy for — our appreciation of the wonders of space was “2001″, but nowadays hyper-SPX dazzle-dazzle-bam-bam-bam SPX is more real/thrilling than reality — an imagination/awe spoiler/killer for many I know, young and not so young. I truly wonder whether even a Mars landing would be a blip to the MTV+ generation. This makes me fear a world when total-sensory virtual reality “escapes” will be available.
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Third-to-last is “semipenultimate”. It’s not a word you get to use much, so do trot it out when you can.
I am a laid off Shuttle worker from KSC. I wrote a blog post analyzing Obama’s speech on April 15th when he killed our entire Human Space Flight Program. You are more than welcome to check out the post and forward it if you feel it’s worth it.
Be safe and well.
http://www.rv-103.com/?p=457