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27 Comments
- H4adF1sh, on 11/15/2009, -1/+23our dauntless workhorse in space. ill be sad to see the fleet retired.
- jboitnott, on 11/16/2009, -1/+14Hopefully the new fleet will erase sadness... whenever the heck we launch it...
- greggerm, on 11/16/2009, -0/+6Actually, the people who need to be told are those who didn't even know Challenger was launching, or that didn't know Columbia was up on orbit.
The shuttle crews, their families, and the aviation and aerospace enthusiasts who watch the space program don't need to be reminded. It's the rest of the country and our "Need Another Seven Astronauts" news media that shows a shuttle launch in between the cooking segment and sports on the nightly news, or that plugs a launch story on some space next to an ad on page 5 of the newspaper. - garryw, on 11/16/2009, -1/+6The Ares V will be able to carry 414,000 lb to Low Earth orbit, shuttle move over. Looking forward to the next generation.
- vizerei, on 11/16/2009, -1/+5The Saturn V can haul over 72,000 pounds to that orbit, but it can't glide back down and land on a runway. It also doesn't have a boom arm for installation and manipulation or a protected easily accessible payload area (i.e. cargo bay door). And I'm pretty sure the shuttle can support more people than the Saturn V. Also, keep in mind that the shuttle can easily take up twice the payload of this mission and the shuttle can also retrieve cargo and bring it safely back down to earth.
So yes, a couple Saturn's could haul the ISS up, but they are not an assembly workhorse. - Garmonbozzia, on 11/16/2009, -3/+7Tell that to the final crews of Challenger and Columbia.
- Garmonbozzia, on 11/16/2009, -0/+4greggerm, Good points. I agree. I vividly remember watching Challenger blow up. The first shuttle launched when I was 3. I grew up in a time when space travel had become the norm. We had a sleek looking shuttle that made it all seem so easy. I was just another person who didn't appreciate it. When I sat there watching Challenger disintegrate, once I realized how complex the shuttle was, how many points of failure there are and there are still people that not only volunteer, but dedicate themselves and break their backs to get there, that was the moment I appreciated the endeavor. I wanted to be one of those people. One day we will have safer space travel, maybe even a space elevator. Even then, the risks will be paramount. Will it ever be more appreciated? Probably not. In 1492, most Europeans probably thought, "oh there just goes another boat... let's get back to killing each other over religion and money." Some things never change. It's the brave explorers we can thank for the things that do.
- KarlH, on 11/16/2009, -0/+4Care to estimate the odds that the first part to break down is one they forgot to bring along?
- neoquietus, on 11/16/2009, -1/+4The Saturn V could haul 118,800 kg to LEO, and the ISS weighs 303,663 kg. In order to minimize the number of launches (and thus minimize the possibility of fatalities) it probably would have been best to launch three unmanned Saturn V's with the ISS components, and a single shuttle-equivalent with crew to assemble it.
- Super6, on 11/16/2009, -2/+5The SpaceX Falcon 9 does it for a lower cost to pound ratio, it's time for NASA to handle science and let some truly innovative start-ups handle the shipping
- Frost9999, on 11/16/2009, -0/+3Let me get this straight. Each time someone spells you're incorrectly, they get fired?
- Truedirt, on 11/15/2009, -3/+6The Shuttle program has made space travel looks so mundane.
- BossKey, on 11/16/2009, -1/+3Specs and promises are all fine, but the ISS crew wants the vehicle that can get them their 27,000 pounds of stuff right now, and Falcon 9 isn't the vehicle that's ready.
- frequentFlyer, on 11/16/2009, -1/+3T+41..............CDR..... Going through nineteen thousand.
(NASA: Altitude report, 19,000 ft.)
T+43..............CDR..... OK we're throttling down.
(NASA: Normal SSME thrust reduction during maximum dynamic pressure region.)
T+57..............CDR..... Throttling up.
(NASA: Throttle up to 104% after maximum dynamic pressure.)
T+58..............PLT..... Throttle up.
T+59..............CDR..... Roger.
T+61..............CDR..... Oh ***** we forgot something...... - metik, on 11/16/2009, -3/+5This i completely agree with. Could not have said it better. Let the entity that does not have to be profitable move us forward with new technology. Let businesses handle the process of doing to cheaply.
Do it once your a scientist. Twice your an engineer. Three times your a technician. - gkiltz, on 11/17/2009, -0/+1Still chasing that damn space station. They need to think beyond that. The space station has so much more to do with politics than science it's almost insulting.
- diggonos, on 11/17/2009, -0/+1Those aren't just any old trees you know. They are high tech Canadian Trees. The same stuff the Canadarm is made out of.
- vizerei, on 11/16/2009, -2/+3Yeah cause you know everyone who has a pickup is white trash.
Don't be a douche. - dhughes, on 11/16/2009, -1/+1 They'd take the bay door off thinking it will improve their mileage, maybe remove the box entirely and put a wooden flatbed on it instead.
- frequentFlyer, on 11/16/2009, -1/+1This is NASA saying "This, boys and girls, is how you do Space".
- sakalamp, on 11/16/2009, -1/+1Did you know they are also taking up trees to space?
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/11/16/spac ... - asus3000, on 11/17/2009, -1/+1More like, we'll probably have a complete financial meltdown by then..
- asus3000, on 11/17/2009, -1/+0My video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ucQQx0gK1c
- mrsurfboard, on 11/16/2009, -10/+7You may never see it. Obama will probably cancel it.
- angusm, on 11/16/2009, -6/+2If it were really a pickup truck there'd be a gun-rack behind the driver and a big dog sitting in the passenger seat, hanging its head out the window with its ears flapping in the breeze. And a few empty beer cans rattling around on the floor.
- appleseed1234, on 11/16/2009, -6/+1So what? A couple of Saturns could probably haul up the entire ISS. Bring back the heavy haulers (and moon landers).
- Remingtonh, on 11/15/2009, -15/+9buried for having to log in to read. . .
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