I placed this here because it's both news and a current event
Thanks for the great adventure, Discovery. You have served well, and will be missed.
STS-133 The final landing of space shuttle Discovery
I placed this here because it's both news and a current event
Thanks for the great adventure, Discovery. You have served well, and will be missed.
Oh, I've gotta spoil the moment and say something curmodgeonly.Originally Posted by Max
It was basically mediocre engineering on the day it was built, and as time wore on only became more obsolete. Two disasters out of five vehicles and 100 some odd flights (at $1.5 billion per) is not exactly a sterling record.
Not only did the Shuttle kill a lot of people, it also destroyed NASA's budgets. Instead of doing real space science, scarce dollars got poured down this dangerous rathole.
something like 30 missions?
despite Deep's observations on the program that's quite the record for one vehicle
Yeah, and I don't see the point in getting into a debate about dollars and technology. America these days has so very little left that we can call national pride. I think our space program has been one of those, and I honor those who have sacrificed all for the purpose of reaching out to the unknown.something like 30 missions?
despite Deep's observations on the program that's quite the record for one vehicle
Hal...the total actual time spent in orbit by discovery was neary a full year. That's amazing.
always looking for the black edge of the silver lining
Wait!
What if we canceled the program and used all those billions for the needy?
We would have no space program, even bigger slums, and an even bigger percentage of the population believing that this is a nanny state then there is now!
Just think of the liberal utopia that could have been??
Sorry, but as much as I love our space program and I truly salute all the astronauts that were a part of the shuttle program, I agree with Deep on this one. I want to see man land on another planet, or at least have made it back to the moon, but instead we sank all our space exploration budget into the shuttle program.
It's rather disappointing that we as nation have seemed to have regressed in terms of space exploration, not progressed. We are doing less now in the 21st century than NASA was doing in the 1960's/70's with A LOT less technology at their disposal. The PC I am typing this post on is more powerful than the computers used in the Apollo missions yet we can't even get a man back on the moon or develop a way to travel to Mars yet?
If we didnt spend so goddam much on entitlements, we'd have been able to do a hell of a lot more
like all forerunners in aeronautics/aerospace its expensive, unreliable, instantly obsolete and unjustifiably adored.
The particular joke with the Shuttle program, is the lack of its replacement. Technology needs to be in the private sector to advance to be driven forward at an acceptable rate.
Unless of course your Chinese
come back to my place, I'll show you how to drink tequila.
Exactly....canceling the program with no viable replacement in the foreseeable future is worse than wasting the money on keeping the aging shuttle fleet flying to begin with.
I'm in two minds as well. What the program achieved ist pretty phenomenal and I suppose the value for the american national spirit is priceless. Remember how all or most of the missions were part of the main evening news with live coverage and whatnot, I think stuff like that is really important for a nation. It helps offset the unsteady flow of GIs in boxes or bags coming home from useless wars.
But the prcetag is simply insane.
I see the pros and cons being adressed here, and respect everyone's opinions.
On a broader note, I would say that the space program in general has prompted the development of technologies which have benefited all people. I have no idea if any great breakthroughs will ever come from those working on the ISS, but one thing is for sure...it would have been virtually impossible to build without the shuttle fleet. The fleet has also seeded and serviced many types of satellites into orbit and beyond. I'd like to hope they have benefited humanity in some manner. If not for the shuttles, the wonderful Hubble space telescope would have become useless long ago, and that piece of equipment has has furthered our understanding of the universe by leaps and bounds...and continues to do so.
I guess there's always the questions about where the large sums of money could/should have been spent. I would personally like to see the US stop sending out billions each year to prop up foreign governments so they remain strategic friends, and allow us to have bases. It's basically bribery, and the investment over the decades would probably cancel the national debt. It's a waste of money, and many of those nations are little more than corrupt dictatorships. I can make a list a mile long on vital things my country needs which should definitely be higher on the spending list than funneling money to Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Israel.
The cheapest and most cost effective way to explore space is with robotics. I think that's where our focus should be. They give the most bang for the buck. I know it's glamorous to have humans walk on other worlds, but to what end? I see no reason for a lunar base that would justify billions of dollars, nor do I see any need to land men on asteroids or Mars. The ideas are cool, yes...but what do we get for the gargantuan investment?
I guess many argue that we don't need any kind of space program, and that we should focus our finances on domestic matters. I see their point, but I also think humans have a basic need to reach beyond their grasp, and seek knowledge. Our world would be a much different place if not for explorers.
Anyhoo, Regardless of the cost, the program is about over now, and future historians will deabte whether the money was worth it. They do the same thing today concerning the fortune spent to beat the Soviets to the moon.
I definitely think the private sector should play a big part of space activities.
on a lighter note...I've always wondered about farting on the shuttle.They don't have to wear the big bulky suits but are still in a contained environment.You could get your pal with a good one for HOURS
Just open a window, duhon a lighter note...I've always wondered about farting on the shuttle.They don't have to wear the big bulky suits but are still in a contained environment.You could get your pal with a good one for HOURS
I rarely think before I post, sorry
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