Couple More
And Commander Ferguson on Letterman (very good and Letterman clearly is a space program supporter):"You always love your first Space Shuttle" Would you get on (SpaceX's Dragon)? "I'd have to read the manual first".SLS gets a mention.
For that reason alone I think one of the greatest missed opportunities was the scrub of STS-134 on the first attempt, which President Obama was scheduled to attend. He and his family went ahead and visited KSC and toured the OPF, etc., but missed the launch. Not that I necessarily expect it to have changed his views or policies, but it would have brought the realities of human space flight to his attention in a way no briefing or report could ever approach.
Quote from: 51D Mascot on 08/17/2011 12:55 amFor that reason alone I think one of the greatest missed opportunities was the scrub of STS-134 on the first attempt, which President Obama was scheduled to attend. He and his family went ahead and visited KSC and toured the OPF, etc., but missed the launch. Not that I necessarily expect it to have changed his views or policies, but it would have brought the realities of human space flight to his attention in a way no briefing or report could ever approach.Personally, I'm glad we missed that opportunity. The *negative* impact had something gone wrong with the president watching is too horrible to think about, and the launch team showed a lot of integrity by not letting the presidential visit influence their decision-making.
Very good appearance by Commander Ferguson; Letterman's enthusiasm is reflective of the impact I've heard so many times before, even from prior skeptics.
Not that I necessarily expect it to have changed his views or policies, but it would have brought the realities of human space flight to his attention in a way no briefing or report could ever approach.