Final Space Shuttle program flight

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The clocks are counting down toward the final flight of the space program that put many star trek fans to work and inspired even more, the Space Shuttle. Good coverage at spaceflightnow.com. Lengthy story about it all here: http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110706preview/

Godspeed to those we have lost in the name of space exploration, and to those that have otherwise given so much to making this program possible.

- M. Crandall
Advanced projects design engineer at Kennedy Space Center

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Sadness <_ _> Here's to hoping this ending can lead to greater beginnings.

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I know a documentary about this is going to be on the Science Channel tomorrow at 10pm (EST) called The Last Space Shuttle: Our Journey, or something along those lines.


I just hope NASA gets revived...thanks to Obama for practically killing it :mad: :(

Here's to hoping we get a new president who understands how important the benefits are to NASA and its programs...

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Practically killing it? You know the shuttle program was slated for its end many years ago. Even Bush and Clinton didn't get the chance to kill it. Those things were supposed to be retired fifteen years ago. Heck, the original engines weren't meant to last more than twenty five missions, and they never got replaced.

They were never what they were meant to be. They've been the consistently most expensive and least safe way to get anything to orbit since their creation. After the Soviets stole the design they figured out pretty quick that it was nothing but another economic boondoggle, just launching one cost as much as individually launching every component of Mir and Salute combined, and Buran still managed to be cheaper to run than ours.

And Constellation was even worse. The program had already gone into a 55% budget overrun without even producing a final design. The Delta Heavy already existed for the same purpose, and Bush cancelled four programs that were cheaper, more effective, and in one case, the CST-100, already at the final design stage.

The estimated combined cost from start to first launch of all four programs was less than one half of Constellation's, even ignoring the massive budget overruns and evidence of massive skimming by the corporations involved. And those programs came with a space station and an orbital vehicle assembly facility. Constellation called for the ISS to be upgraded with facilities that weren't part of the program's own budget or any ISS expansion plans.

When Obama finally stopped the bleeding from the Constellation mess (which NASA never wanted to begin with), three of those four programs were restored, and two of those three were already in more advanced stages than Constellation. We've now got a final design heavy lifter (again, since we already had it before Bush scrapped it), fourteen years ahead of the Constellation program's timetable. Seriously. Simply killing Constellation moved the timetable forward fourteen years.

Or to be more specific, just creating Constellation pushed it back twenty - we may be over a decade ahead of where Constellation was, but really we're just where we already were in 2004 when Bush handed a contract to his old business buddy and gave the boot to every aerospace giant in the country.

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I'm sorry, but I'm not ok with other nations getting control of space, I'd rather waste money in space programs that bring many benefits and secure our hold. Well then, here's to privitized and military space programs...at least the military ones make useful orbital bombers... :rolleyes:

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Wonder if Cryptic will do a special event to send off the shuttle program? I mean it would make sense to do so.

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Wonder if Cryptic will do a special event to send off the shuttle program? I mean it would make sense to do so.

With all their attention to Season 4, I doubt they would be able to :(

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What about the option to put a space shuttle model (Like in trek movies) in yer ready room? like a ship model?
They could do that...it'd be cool.......how hard could that be?

Even the Enterprise had a replica of the shuttle in its ready room........just sayin....;)

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I'm sorry, but I'm not ok with other nations getting control of space, I'd rather waste money in space programs that bring many benefits and secure our hold. Well then, here's to privitized and military space programs...at least the military ones make useful orbital bombers... :rolleyes:

Thats a statement i can not agree with. The USA is not the sole owner of space and since there is so much of it such talk would be considered hmmm just arogant even if you dont wish to come off as such.

The space race is over. we won yeah now its time for coorporates free market to lend a hand. The shuttles need to retire because they are not only old and faling apart but require to much mechanical upkeep that is a huge drain. One would rather build a new ship then repair those 20 year old ships. The airforce still have their space program so we are not out of space just yet. other projects for space ships are on hold and well the ships are built but they are just sitting in hangers. look up x planes and you will see all the prototypes that have flown already.

we have come to a point in our life where there needs to be a purpose to go into space. I see many but there are polotics and lobbyist who are killing programs just so that the good old days stay around longer then expected (GREED and PROFIT). I for one cant wait for many of these old geezers who hold back out technology for profit hit the dirt floor. Then the young generation can take its place and put humanity back on a growing and technological leap. At this stage we can get so much done if you take the profit margin out of the equation.

Thats the gosh honest truth really

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I'm sorry, but I'm not ok with other nations getting control of space, I'd rather waste money in space programs that bring many benefits and secure our hold. Well then, here's to privitized and military space programs...at least the military ones make useful orbital bombers...

If that's what you're worried about, Constellation was the thing that was going to do that. The program wasn't even timetabled to give a final design for another fourteen years, but we already had the designs for an upgraded Delta IV that could have delivered 121 tons to the moon, compared to Constellation's 78, and it would have seen its first test launch two years ago if it wasn't cancelled in favor of Constellation. It could have been human-rated by now.

As it is, the engines are going to see their first test firings in the next few months, compared to 2027 for the Ares V.

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What about the option to put a space shuttle model (Like in trek movies) in yer ready room? like a ship model?
They could do that...it'd be cool.......how hard could that be?

Even the Enterprise had a replica of the shuttle in its ready room........just sayin....;)

^ I'm totally for this idea :D

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Yes, it would be special if the devs could do something for the final send off. But I agree that they have a lot going on with season 4 going live today so they might not be able to get to it. Perhaps they can pull something together in time for final wheel stop in a couple of weeks.

And I'm going to resist getting into the discussion about the future programs as I am very opinionated being one that is actually working on it. All I will say is that Constellation was a viable plan and if it had been funded properly from the start, there would not have been the cost and schedule overruns that was the excuse for shutting it down. The longer you drag something out, the more it costs. A talented workforce exists in this country that can do great things and it is being disbanded due to the reasons our launch director noted in his final countdown simulation speech.

But please try and keep this thread civil and focused on the end of this great program. The last thing I want it to see it shut down because a flame war started over the politics.

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Yes, it would be special if the devs could do something for the final send off. But I agree that they have a lot going on with season 4 going live today so they might not be able to get to it. Perhaps they can pull something together in time for final wheel stop in a couple of weeks.

Hmmm good point there.

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How mush you think a used space shuttle runs these days? I smell a charter service!

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I noticed today that when they were wheeling out Atlantis that it resembles a beat up old Buick that's seen better days. Old spacecraft is old. Instruct NASA to build a better space buss.

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with who's money? they ask for 45million to build a freaking coffee machine

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Here's to the future of manned space exploration.

Godspeed Atlantis and crew in your final journey.


In all honesty, I'd've figured the program would have closed with Endeavour since its the youngest of the remaining shuttles.

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Depressing to think that rodenberry's time line includes another world war before we are free from our solar system.

I like to think that the military has capabilities that exceed the shuttles and as soon as the people take back this planet from war mongers that exist in every nation... I digress.

Another possibility is the aliens will be here soon and our future is not near as successful as rodenberry envisioned.

Nonetheless, good luck and thank you to all of the people who have helped to lift man kind this high.

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This may be the US last manned space flight, ...I hate this idea to and would love to see the old Orion project brought back...lol pluto in a year. but the truth is the US is Trillions of dollars in debt and the space program will never get the founding again for manned missions. I saw 2001, and read all the books when i was a kid and dreamed.... Sorry guys but unless we have Nuclear fusion and need helium 3 from the gas giants...or something like that, manned space is over......unless theres a military reason....but that is a double edge sword.

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I'm sorry, but I'm not ok with other nations getting control of space, I'd rather waste money in space programs that bring many benefits and secure our hold. Well then, here's to privitized and military space programs...at least the military ones make useful orbital bombers... :rolleyes:

I don't know whether to be appalled, offended or shamed by your comment. The US has no more right over space than any other nation on this planet. It is in complete contrast to how Gene Roddenberry saw the future - one where humans (not Americans) ventured into space as a race, not as individual nations. This is not what I believe Star Trek stands for. :(

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http://somafm.com/missioncontrol/

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Two and a half hours to go before the launch now as I type this. I'm sure the crew will make it a good one.

...And I think I'm going to change the name of my ship to "Atlantis". :(

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Just saw the old girl go up. now we just gotta wait 50 years for some drunk in Montana to invent warp drive :D

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Just saw the old girl go up. now we just gotta wait 50 years for some drunk in Montana to invent warp drive :D

We could use Warpdrive right about now. Might actually solve some of our problems. Maybe skip the whole WW3 bit.

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We could use Warpdrive right about now. Might actually solve some of our problems. Maybe skip the whole WW3 bit.

Well, it'll be the Eastern Coalition's fault anyways. :D I'm gonna go build my Montana compund now and write my manifesto

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Godspeed to you, Atlantis.

I noticed today that when they were wheeling out Atlantis that it resembles a beat up old Buick that's seen better days. Old spacecraft is old. Instruct NASA to build a better space buss.

She's at least 26 years old, at least according to her Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis). That's a pretty good run for a spacecraft. We've got bombers and warships that have been in service for longer than that.

Two and a half hours to go before the launch now as I type this. I'm sure the crew will make it a good one.

...And I think I'm going to change the name of my ship to "Atlantis". :(

I've got one of those; a Discovery-class starship I named Atlantis when I was ranking my Sci Officer through the Captain Rank. It seemed fitting for the class.

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I loved it, after the launch, when the mission commander said "I love it when a plan comes together"...

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I watched it while tabbing into/out of STO. Wonderful launch, shame the video cut out part way. :(

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I watched it while tabbing into/out of STO. Wonderful launch, shame the video cut out part way. :(

ahhh, so it wasn't just my connection at work then?!

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The Irony of finding this post!!!!

I live on the Isle of man and was at a lecture the other day about partical physics and space related stuff in general, and the lecture was presented by Professor Brian Cox and the astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery. It was livestreamed too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL9nbCuXxHo&list=PLB0DAC2E3BD74A019&feature=player_embedded#at=14

It was incredible, there are more on the playlist, and part 6 onward is the NASA crew.

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By the way, in part 1 skip past that noob we call a politician

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Godspeed to you, Atlantis.



She's at least 26 years old, at least according to her Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis). That's a pretty good run for a spacecraft. We've got bombers and warships that have been in service for longer than that.



Bombers and warships don't have to worry about exploding on reentry to the atmosphere.

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Bombers and warships don't have to worry about exploding on reentry to the atmosphere.

No, they just have to worry about exploding ordinance. Or, in the case of aircraft, the engines failing...

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No, they just have to worry about exploding ordinance. Or, in the case of aircraft, the engines failing...

Well last year's orbital bomber test worked out pretty good.

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No, they just have to worry about exploding ordinance. Or, in the case of aircraft, the engines failing...

unless that includes Daisy cutters and nukes being detonated against them, they arent dealing with forces a space craft needs to endure.

If you want to make a relevant association you could bring up the Soyuz design, which is a Russian space capsule design still in service today and has been since the 1960s

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I'm still wondering how the Soviets came up with the Soyuz design, considering the mess that was the N1 rocket was developed at around the same time.

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I'm still wondering how the Soviets came up with the Soyuz design, considering the mess that was the N1 rocket was developed at around the same time.

Everyone's entitled to their failures. Even the Russians. ;)

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Everyone's entitled to their failures. Even the Russians. ;)

True, but the N1 wasn't just a failure, it was nearly cataclysmic to their wn space program, considering the loss of one of their N1/5L rocket was so spectacular it showed up on US Missile Early Warning satellites, when 29 of it's 30 engines failed on liftoff (before it even cleared the tower)

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There is always my idea...

Honoring the Last Shuttle Flight. (http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=223136)