Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches on Final Flight

[nyker96]

Sad eyed to see the space shuttle retiring. :[

Link:
http://nyti.ms/iQqhKQ

 

[Fear No Evil]

What is even worse is we will have to ask the Russian's to take us to the space station. Unacceptable in my mind. As most of you know I'm usually a huge Obama supporter, but this is an absolute travesty that he's allowing this to end with no replacement near ready.

:awe:

 

[manimal]

The end of an era sadly. A replacement for the shuttle should have been in the works for a decade now.

 

[LegendKiller]

The end of an era sadly. A replacement for the shuttle should have been in the works for a decade now.

The shuttle era should never have existed. It was a defense contractor boondoggle and they knew it was a massive waste but kept the government on the hook. Farting around in LEO was always a waste of time, there was no goal, no major objective, nothing to really show for it. A far-reaching plan should have been made using realistic launch vehicles.

It's time to reboot the US space program using commercial means.

 

[dainthomas]

50 years after Vostok 1 and we'll be hitching rides with the Russians. Looks like manned spaceflight will have come full circle.

 

[wuliheron]

50 years after Vostok 1 and we'll be hitching rides with the Russians. Looks like manned spaceflight will have come full circle.

We aren't hitching rides. We're just outsourcing it like everything else. Without US support there would be no Russian space program. They've even begun haggling over costs like good capitalists.

 

[MayorOfAmerica]

Godspeed

 

[chucky2]

Isn't this the 2nd to last overall shuttle flight? Isn't there one more planned for late June or early July or something like that?

 

[werepossum]

Isn't this the 2nd to last overall shuttle flight? Isn't there one more planned for late June or early July or something like that?

Yes, but it's Endeavor's last flight.

I'm kind of glad to see it retired. When they went to the new, more environmentally friendly foam, it got very dangerous. Sad though that we have nothing to replace it.

 

[chucky2]

I wonder if they'll re-prep them before sending them wherever they'll get sent, just in case they need to be rolled back out.