Last Flight of Atlantis

[Elias824]

Amazing pictures

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/first_of_the_last_space_shuttl.html

The last flight of the shuttle Atlantis May 14, 2010, feels like were saying goodbye to an old friend. I can only hope that we wont have to beg for rides from the Russians for to long.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Its absolutely 100% disgraceful that we no longer have the ability to send people into space ourselves. Shame on Obama, Shame on congress, shame on the previous administrations that allowed this to happen. We've spent enough bailing out companies to fund NASA's shuttle program for decades. I realize its an aging platform, but we have no replacement.

The last flights make me proud and ashamed in the same breath.

 

[Zorkorist]

My brother flew down to watch the launch.

I think "space" is achievable to private companies, and won't miss NASA.

-John

 

[dmcowen674]

I can only hope that we wont have to beg for rides from the Russians for to long.

Third world countries don't go to space.

 

[Lemon law]

The spaceshuttle was always an overcomplex clusterfuck that put lives at risk. It would have been better to have a replacement ready to go before scrapping the lot of them, but its my understanding we will soon have a replacement ready to go.

 

[Fear No Evil]

The spaceshuttle was always an overcomplex clusterfuck that put lives at risk. It would have been better to have a replacement ready to go before scrapping the lot of them, but its my understanding we will soon have a replacement ready to go.

I doubt we will have anything in the next 10 years to be honest.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

The spaceshuttle was always an overcomplex clusterfuck that put lives at risk. It would have been better to have a replacement ready to go before scrapping the lot of them, but its my understanding we will soon have a replacement ready to go.

It was very complex, but it was a very useful platform. Personally, I would be interested to see the total cost of the shuttle program compared to the total cost to have done the same things in a normal rocket based program.

 

[Genx87]

It was very complex, but it was a very useful platform. Personally, I would be interested to see the total cost of the shuttle program compared to the total cost to have done the same things in a normal rocket based program.

I believe there are papers on this subject across the internet. The Shuttle program cost too much for what it delivered. And it never really delivered its stated goal of quick turn around. These things would go up what, twice a year on a good year?

We can accomplish a lot more with robotics in space for the same cost as we can going manned.