3 shuttle missions remain, your thoughts?

[E30Kaiser]

I am glad the Shuttle program is going as it is one of the things that was keeping us stuck in low earth orbit as far as human flight. However I am pissed the Obama waited this late in the game to say fuck the constellation program, and wasted a couple years of work and money.

Something I didn't think about until I watched that new Steven Hawking mini series on discovery is that the further you get away from the Earth in terms of missions, the less relevance it has to Earth, and the less incentive a government has in funding it. So sooner or later it is going to come down to the people or companies going out there to pay for the missions, or just extreme generosity on the part of the USA and other nations.

EDIT: In response to Ral's post, yeah it seems that way. Kinda makes sense in a strange way, the first country in the game is also the last in terms of manned space flight(for now).

[Huff]

2) I can't believe bama just let the shuttle program go.

The shuttle program was scheduled for retirement before the new White House Administration.

[E30Nova]

Go to new places. How many times have we gone to the moon? Fuck the moon, that shit is old news now.

Go to the fucking sun.

Matt

[CincinnatiKid]

When we were putting guys on the moon, the nasa budget was something like 5.5% of the total federal budget, today it's something around 0.5%. The general public isn't as interested in it anymore because nothing significant has been done in space in recent years. I say retire them, build the new craft, we won't lose anything waiting.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

just got back from the launch, i live 30 min from where they shoot these guys off, i was as close as you can get without working at nasa or paying for a ticket... heres one of my 100 or so shots...

holy big pic batman, too lazy to resize

[TheEtaUnderdog]

here's another, just for fun, again, huge pic!





sorry if I'm not getting in on the thread topic, but this totally relates.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

When we were putting guys on the moon, the nasa budget was something like 5.5% of the total federal budget, today it's something around 0.5%. The general public isn't as interested in it anymore because nothing significant has been done in space in recent years. I say retire them, build the new craft, we won't lose anything waiting.

are you kidding? tell everyone in brevard county who stopped working today to watch this thing go up.

They were working on a new ship to replace this bird, but they just canceled that project

[E30Kaiser]

They are still going through with the "ship" Orion but they are canceling the Ares rocket system from what I understand. The general public from what I can tell isn't interested as well. People like going to Kennedy Space Center and stuff, but when it comes to spending a couple billion dollars, they would rather piss it away on something retarded, like pork-barrel bullshit in bills.(don't mean to get too political)

[TheEtaUnderdog]

orion is not a shuttle replacement, but rather an ares rocket replacement. The replacement shuttle program was cancelled

[mrsleeve]

Underdog: You have a bit of a skewd view. in your area NASA is huge, not so much in the rest of the country, Hence why there is little public support any more.

I really want to see maned Missions contine but sadly there is not the will to do so any longer.

[E30Kaiser]

orion is not a shuttle replacement, but rather an ares rocket replacement. The replacement shuttle program was cancelled

Orion is the capsule that sits on top of the Ares Rocket, and was supposed to be the USA's new spacecraft as part of the Constellation program.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

meh, I'll enjoy my view as long as I can.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

Orion is the capsule that sits on top of the Ares Rocket, and was supposed to be the USA's new spacecraft as part of the Constellation program.

ah yes, however ares has been cancelled, orion not completely.

[E30Kaiser]

ah yes, however ares has been cancelled, orion not completely.

Correct.

In other news, who do yall think will make it to Mars first? Private companies, the USA, Russia, China, India? My money would be on private companies if Obama keeps his priorities where they are now.

[TheEtaUnderdog]

I'd say the USA, Obama won't be the pres forever, it more depends on the next decade. Russia or China could be close second, China only doing it with US design they "mimic'd"