BF2S Forums space shuttle lifts off

I just watched the docking live, found out my satellite had the NASA channel right as it happened, I love how with the spaceship one hype all of NASA's critics were out shouting "NASA is dead!! All your space are belong to us!!", while failing to recognize the fact that the shuttle can carry about a dozen Spaceship One's AND their delivery vehicles, and Spacehip One can barely carry one person.

BTW, has anyone seen the inside of the ISS? It's huge compared to what we used to send up there.

I say we temporarily hault the space shuttle program until the other major issues are resolved.

Spearhead wrote:

I say we temporarily hault the space shuttle program until the other major issues are resolved.

waaaaayyyyy too many good things have come from the space program, from airbags to surgery tools and techniques

kr@cker wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

I say we temporarily hault the space shuttle program until the other major issues are resolved.

waaaaayyyyy too many good things have come from the space program, from airbags to surgery tools and techniques

Were those being developed in the past 5 years?  I'm not DISSING the space program, I'm saying we temporarily hault it to spend those millions of dollars on other things besides research.  Remember, this is a time of war, after all.

Spark wrote:

Spearhead wrote:

kr@cker wrote:

waaaaayyyyy too many good things have come from the space program, from airbags to surgery tools and techniques

Were those being developed in the past 5 years?  I'm not DISSING the space program, I'm saying we temporarily hault it to spend those millions of dollars on other things besides research.  Remember, this is a time of war, after all.

No. We've already had two world wars, let's not start a space war, too.

Dude, you completely miss my point.  Let's stop going to space ENTIRELY for the time being and spend that money to improve other things, either military equipment and training, or for diplomatic stuff.  I was using the time of war thing for sarcasm.  If we really are in a time of war, we should hault the space shuttle program and dedicate that money to improving weapons and equipment.  Because in war, money means lives.

Ok, well I just think we should be spending that money on more down to earth things than the Space Shuttle.  I know what it's for, but remember we went years after the Colombia disaster without having a Shuttle in space.

The original launch date wasn't July 4th btw.  It was the previous saturday.  While the Space Shuttle is iconic, it is a decade past its intended sunset date.  Despite the recent disaster, space travel has been a remarkably safe venture considering the number of SUCCESSFUL flights and especially considering the complex nature of its design.  The SSME is still the most efficient liquid rocket despite it's nearly 30 year age.  All that being said, the space shuttle was conceived as a lower cost alternative to the disposable craft of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.  Unfortunately, costs exponentially rose.  Another fun fact?  The problems that have recently come to light regarding the foam breaking off have always been there.  Since day one.  Since the disastrous flight of Columbia, the media and other sources have simply focused on it, just as they did on the SRB's after Challenger.  The SRB's aren't even really what failed, despite how dangerous they are.  Once lit - you're done, you have to ride it out.  You can't shut them off.  The new lift vehicle is going back to a capsule (Apollo derivative) and putting the whole thing in a multi stage design on top of an SRB.  After each launch the SRB's are dredged out of the ocean and entirely remanufactured out west - then shipped via railroad all the way to Floride where they are barged into another location and finally assembled in the VAB.

Something else about the shuttle - it doesn't fly.  The landing?  Controlled crash, the shuttle generates no more lift than a brick - literally.  The wings serve only to slow it down.  If they miss on their descent, there's no second chance.  Their fuel was all in that pretty orange thing that burned up in the atmosphere on the way up.  To simulate landing, they fly in a plane with the engines in full reverse.  Not sure where I'm going with all this, just some less than commonly known things about the space shuttle

</Aerospace Engineer>

As for aborting space travel for a while, I think we've laid off enough from it already.  How does anyone propose to deal with the fact that we're reproducing more rapidly than our planet can support?  Colonization FTW.

Last edited by puckmercury (2006-07-07 17:04:20)

This is what I hate about the US goverment.  They think that the space program is a waste of money VS everything else.  But, I guess their pockets arn't big enough.

BTW, puckmercury what part of Indianapolis do you live?

haha true, i'm on the very east side in Warren Township.  the warriors suck at basketball though.

shhhhh!!!!

lets aim for mars then ill pay attention

all very good and true point