As a 5 year old, I watched Sputnik on a black and white TV. At age 16, I watched Buzz step off the ladder. When I atttended Jim Russell School of Motor Racing at Willow Springs, CA in Summer 1977, we often observed the Space Shuttle riding atop it's special 747 variant over Edwards Air Force a few miles west of Rosamond, CA.<br><br>Shortly thereafter I was married, and we will celebrate our 30th anniversary just before the final flight of the Shuttle.<br><br>The cycle will be complete, and we will return solely to expendable launch vehicles until the next generation of perhaps a highly refined craft that perfects (refines) the Shuttles concept into an efficient enough system to complete the cycle agin by the late mid century.<br><br>We may not live to see it, but one thing is for certain: today's great accomplishments may be footnotes of the future, but they will be as much of a foundation as was the Wright Flyer. <br><br>Perhaps "Star Trek" falls short of what might actually evolve between 2075 and 2350.

I drive past this every morning on my way to work. Twice, NASA has "borrowed" parts from this so called "mock-up". Last was a set of nose cones for the SRBM's that were fitted onto working STS boosters instead of fabricating new ones.

What am I missing here? Shuttle operations cease in 2010, we are already comtemplating how to sell off the parts, and there is no proven, comparable or better system to replace it? Let's sell NASA for spare parts. :S