Last Shuttle Launches

Another beautiful launch of the shuttle.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=100244431

It's a sad day though. Never thought I would see the end of the US manned space flight program. I know that may be an exaggeration but I think it will be at least 15 years before we see another.

Andreas

Andreas Saldivar said:

Another beautiful launch of the shuttle.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=100244431

It's a sad day though. Never thought I would see the end of the US manned space flight program. I know that may be an exaggeration but I think it will be at least 15 years before we see another.

Andreas

It'll be interesting to see what occurs in those 15 years with manned exploration of space by other countries. :S

Andreas Saldivar said:

Another beautiful launch of the shuttle.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=100244431

It's a sad day though. Never thought I would see the end of the US manned space flight program. I know that may be an exaggeration but I think it will be at least 15 years before we see another.

Andreas

Maybe we will. Probably we won't. And beyond that? I doubt it. I will put it this way: I do not expect to live to see us return to the Moon much less go to Mars. And I ain't _that_ old. Furthermore the _unmanned_ space program is on the chopping block and I fully expect it to be whittled away to nothingness.

David, AFAIC, they ended with Apollo 17, except for the unmanned activity.

I flew down to see STS-134 & STS-135. Attached is a pic I took of STS-135.

K. Michael M.

Attached Image:

ther entire space program was a result of many technologies coming together and a lot of inspiration.
I believe we will have some major breakthoughs, and the guts to pull it off again one day.
Right now, we are doing "enhancements to ideas with a dimminishing return. Send someone to the moon once, great ....twice great 3 time, ok, 33 times , well wait, what is this costing.
Same with a bigger space telescope.......Hubble is amazing.....Webb was ok, oh wait, it will cost 10 , not 20 times more than hubble.
Hmm
So we wait for the next opportunity....
It will come.....hopefully sson
Meanwhile, we really are still doing a lot of science.
Bill