We have separation!

[Rogue]

Have a good mission Endevour!

[Bill Greenwood]

I just saw that on the news also. Climbs pretty good. Talk about a smoker, wonder what the carbon footprint of that thing is?

[RickH]

Wonder if NASA sends a boat load of money to AlGore's company to offset that "carbon footprint", each time they launch?

[cu360r6]

I just saw that on the news also. Climbs pretty good. Talk about a smoker, wonder what the carbon footprint of that thing is?

It may be the only thing that takes more maintenance to fly than a spitfire.

[Former Member]

Did they give the crew breathalizer tests? Sorry...couldn't resist!!!

John

[JDK]

Canuck in space...

And for those who like to demean their (or any) teachers as those that can do those that can't, teach, here's a teacher who do too:

Flying on the shuttle is schoolteacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan.

Ms Morgan, 55, originally trained at Nasa as a back-up for Christa McAuliffe, who was selected for Nasa's Teacher in Space programme, announced by US President Reagan in the 1980s.

McAuliffe and six other astronauts were killed in 1986 aboard the shuttle Challenger, when a leaky booster rocket triggered an explosion 73 seconds into launch.

After the incident, Nasa asked Ms Morgan to stay on as its Teacher in Space representative and pledged a shuttle flight to fulfil McAuliffe's educational agenda.

But then the agency also banned civilians from flying in its spacecraft, so Ms Morgan had to become a fully trained astronaut, joining Nasa's corps in 1998.

She will operate a robot arm in space and, if time permits, speak with school children at locations around the US via a link-up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6936970.stm

I'm not normally interested in spacecraft (gotta draw he line somewhere) but that's got to lay a few ghosts.

[GIJOE290]

Hey! Don't bogart the flask, dude! I need a drink before they light this rocket.

Seriously, wishing you safe and successful mission Endevour

[ZRX61]

I just saw that on the news also. Climbs pretty good. Talk about a smoker, wonder what the carbon footprint of that thing is?

It may be the only thing that takes more maintenance to fly than a spitfire.

Probably about the same ratio at Reno Racers... I seem to remember with RareBear it was at least 1500:1 maint/flight

[Jerry O'Neill]

I just saw that on the news also. Climbs pretty good. Talk about a smoker, wonder what the carbon footprint of that thing is?

They use airshow smoke to make the launch more dramatic!.
It has to be non-toxic...right

[Karpis]

Just curious.....have we dropped the off-topic forum?

[tom d. friedman]

a canadian astronaut...... molson orbits the earth!!!

[EDowning]

Bill Greenwood wrote:

I just saw that on the news also. Climbs pretty good. Talk about a smoker, wonder what the carbon footprint of that thing is?

Any warbird pilot that even utters the phase "carbon footprint" should be on the look out for a lightning bolt from above. It is the height of hypocrisy.

I am often amazed by people who come to my hangar and admire the Skyraider, other warbirds, and even the muscle cars, but have to make a comment about my gas guzzling, carbon producing, H2 Hummer.

I am totally consistent, I am doing my part to solve our oil dependence, I have noticed that only when faced with a total lack of a certain resource, does the innovation of the U.S. kick in and solve the problem. I am going use all of the existing oil and gas, and hasten the move to an acceptable alternative. Each of us has a civic duty to help in some way. This is just my small contribution.

[APG85]

Nice pictures...

http://www.pbase.com/rod_ostoski/sts118

[Taylor Stevenson]

I get chills watching every launch... Its amazing how far we've come in a little over 100 years!

[treadigraph]

Last night at 2030 BST I was watching NASA TV as the crews prepared to open the airlocks between the Shuttle and the ISS - at that time they were half a world away somewhere off the southern coast of New Zealand. 45 minutes later I was on the local common here on the southern edge of London, watching them as a swiftly moving bright star in the twighlit sky directly over my head.

Previous night the ISS passed overhead at 2231, hotly pursued three minutes later by the Shuttle, fainter but easily visible in the night sky.

Spectacular!