NASA Pulls Power on Shuttle Discovery For Final Time

[APG85]

Article and pictures below. Delivery to the Hazy Center is expected in April...

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121611a.html

[peter]

Something sad and final about that... Sleep well Discovery!

[APG85]

Yes, it is sad. I also feel bad for the Shuttle workforce that poured their heart and souls into those vehicles and now are without jobs. They were uniquely skilled in what they did and they did a fantastic job...

[jmkendall]

And there goes the last vestige of America's Manned Space Program. You can't really count the ISS, the Russians fly us up there.

I wonder what will happen to the American National Pride when the Chinese land a robot on the Moon in a year or so. Or the fact that the Russians and Chinese have signed a pact to build a Base on the Moon and mine its resources.

Has anyone here ever read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? If so they know why we should be very scared.

[ZRX61]

Pretty sure they already scrapped out the mate/de-mate gantry at Palmdale. Don't recall seeing it the last few times I drove past the airfield...

[wingman1]

is not the Main Engines for the display's going to be made from the nozzles of older scraped unit's?

[K5DH]

American National Pride

Do we still have any?

[APG85]

is not the Main Engines for the display's going to be made from the nozzles of older scraped unit's?

Already done and installed on Discovery. All of the intact, operational main engines have been shipped out and will supposedly be used in the future Space Launch System. See link below on Discovery's preparations, scroll down and you will see pictures of the replica engines...

http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum30 ... 00999.html

[k5083]

And there goes the last vestige of America's Manned Space Program. You can't really count the ISS, the Russians fly us up there.

No, but you can count what entrepreneurs like Rutan, backed by Paul Allen, are doing. They announced a new space-plane project less than a week ago. Why should only government activity count? It's funny how space travel brings out the love for socialist solutions in people who are normally against them.

August

[cooper9411]

And there goes the last vestige of America's Manned Space Program. You can't really count the ISS, the Russians fly us up there.

I wonder what will happen to the American National Pride when the Chinese land a robot on the Moon in a year or so. Or the fact that the Russians and Chinese have signed a pact to build a Base on the Moon and mine its resources.

Has anyone here ever read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? If so they know why we should be very scared.

Or, they go up there and recover eveything we left up there.

[K5DH]

And there goes the last vestige of America's Manned Space Program. You can't really count the ISS, the Russians fly us up there.

I wonder what will happen to the American National Pride when the Chinese land a robot on the Moon in a year or so. Or the fact that the Russians and Chinese have signed a pact to build a Base on the Moon and mine its resources.

Has anyone here ever read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? If so they know why we should be very scared.

Or, they go up there and recover eveything we left up there.

You mean like Andy Griffith did in the made-for-TV movie, "Salvage"?

[wingman1]

is not the Main Engines for the display's going to be made from the nozzles of older scraped unit's?

Already done and installed on Discovery. All of the intact, operational main engines have been shipped out and will supposedly be used in the future Space Launch System. See link below on Discovery's preparations, scroll down and you will see pictures of the replica engines...

http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum30 ... 00999.html

kool thanks. are the replica engones made from older nozzles? they look great and i rebmber reading somewhere that they were going to be. i just wanted to know if they indeed went that route.

[the330thbg]

And there goes the last vestige of America's Manned Space Program. You can't really count the ISS, the Russians fly us up there.

I wonder what will happen to the American National Pride when the Chinese land a robot on the Moon in a year or so. Or the fact that the Russians and Chinese have signed a pact to build a Base on the Moon and mine its resources.

Has anyone here ever read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? If so they know why we should be very scared.

Or, they go up there and recover eveything we left up there.

You mean like Andy Griffith did in the made-for-TV movie, "Salvage"?

Holy Kuh RAP.,. I thought I was the ONLY one who sat through THAT tv movie!! LMAO!!!!

and worse.., the series is NOW available on DVD!

http://www.ioffer.com/i/salvage-1-one-t ... -150562011

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[jmkendall]

Because August, I said America's last vestige.

America as in the collective whole of the people.

Private Enterprise is great and exciting, but it is NOT America.

Corporations have proved time and again that their allegiance is to their Stock Holders and Owners NOT to the American People. If they don't get their tax breaks...poof...outsourced. If they don't get the regulations or laws they want to make even more profits, then...poof..outsourced.

There is nothing stopping a Corporation in this Country from developing Space Plane Tech and then selling it to the highest bidder; say China. In fact from a business standpoint it might make great sense to sell that tech to China; an emerging Space Power.

So, no it was America's last vestige. Heck, we, as a Nation, don't even have a concrete manned mission even in the planning stages. We don't even have a committee formed to form the committee to decide where the first meeting place of the real committee should meet...and who brings donuts.

[jmkendall]

Oh, and, correct me if I am wrong, but the concept of Collective Political Power in this Country is called a Republican form of Government; or even a Democracy; not Socialism.