Author Topic: Favorite Orbiter?  (Read 39384 times)

Offline NASA_Twix_JSC

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #40 on: 07/03/2007 12:54 am »
Columbia for everything she pioneered.

Offline TFGQ

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #41 on: 07/03/2007 01:02 am »
I Hafta go with Columbia saw her on the pad durning a tour  in 1993 then saw her land at the SLF  in 1994  

Endeavour a close second
Life is a magical thing -- Laurel Clark

Offline Shorty Powers

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #42 on: 07/03/2007 12:45 pm »
Quote
OV-106 - 2/7/2007  2:54 PM

... I do not know why you (Jim) try to constantly make this program and everything related to it so sterile and bland.  It does not need to be that way and should not be that way.

OV-106 nailed it with his quote, above.  All the traditions, spacecraft callsigns and/or names, and humorous anecdotes from each mission (such as the Gemini 3 corned beef sandwich, Santa Claus sighting from Gemini 6, etc.,) gave our space program something which it seems to have lost somewhere along the line..."soul."

Yes, Jim, payloads are important and "the reason for the season" on each mission.  However, which "headline" below do you think sparks the most imagination from the general public?

HEADLINE 1:  ATLANTIS THUNDERS SKYWARD ON VITAL CONSTRUCTION MISSION

or,

HEADLINE 2:  SHUTTLE DELIVERS TRUSS TO STATION

"You make the call."
"This is Mercury Control..."

Offline Jim

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #43 on: 07/03/2007 01:04 pm »
Quote
OV-106 - 2/7/2007  2:54 PM
 I do not know why you try to constantly make this program and everything related to it so sterile and bland.  It does not need to be that way and should not be that way. .  While the payload may be the purpose and the goal of the mission, it is the crew and us here on the ground that define it because in the end that's how you judge success.
.

Because when the purpose of the missions are de-emphasized and the frivolous reinforced, then it makes people (including congress) question the reason for the flights and the purpose of the space program.

That is another problem, placing the astronauts on a pedestal.   The crew does not define a mission.  They are just as interchangable as most of the orbiters.    On STS-34, Galileo was the important part of, strike that, was the mission.   Who was the crew was insignificant wrt the overall mission.  Yet, I bet more people know what crew and which orbiter flew on what mission vs the payload.  That is messed up.   I don't care who the truck driver is, when he delivers my new TV.  

PS. at the time, I knew which orbiter I was in and their differences.

Offline TALsite

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #44 on: 07/03/2007 02:19 pm »
Columbia

When I saw on TV her FIRST land, I said:
“Wow, look how a spaceflight could finish…!”


Offline ArielGold

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #45 on: 07/03/2007 03:56 pm »

Quote
Seattle Dave - 2/7/2007 1:14 AM

These are named vehicles that people can identfy with without having to know all the technicalities ... Mike Leinbach always speaks of them as "shes", as did Leroy Cain today.

It works on the level of your first car. I bet we could all name it and some people even give pet names to their cars. Difference is these orbiters already have their own names so they aren't all the same to the public, even if they are indentical sisters.

I totally agree with Dave.

Discovery has always been my favorite orbiter. However, after seeing the pictures of Endeavour going into the VAB... she is so clean, white, and shiny, and sparkly... I may have to change my mind, lol.

And I thought I was just "girlie" because I had a "favorite" orbiter! Lots of people do! :) (And no it doesn't remotely trivialize the space program to me, because I happen to have a favorite.)  

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Offline ShuttleDiscovery

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #46 on: 07/03/2007 05:03 pm »
Quote
Jim - 2/7/2007  2:42 AM
  To me, the payload defines the mission, the specific orbiter used is no different than the ET assigned to the mission.

But Jim, each ET is only ever used once. They are not overly important, or special. But the orbiters fly dozens of times, and so many people accross the USA take pride and care in ensuring that the vehicle they are working on is ready and safe to fly.

For example, whenever anyone see an updated launch schedule on this site, I'm sure there's people here who will say something like 'Cool, Discovery's flying next year! She's my favourite, must go and see that launch.'

I mean, nobody goes and watches a launch because it's using ET-125 or has SRB set BI-129 for example, do you?....Well, most people anyway! :)

Offline Jim

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #47 on: 07/03/2007 05:15 pm »
I may go see a Delta launch or an Atlas launch,  and maybe even a shuttle launch.  The orbiter assigned doesn't matter wrt a launch.  I may make a effort if there is some thing special about the payload (NASA vs comsat).  

For example, the final flights of each orbiter is meaningless, but the last shuttle launch will an event

Offline Jason Davies

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #48 on: 07/03/2007 06:07 pm »
Interesting comments from Jim, as he's got a point, as Chris was speaking about for which STS-122 processing thread to move to.

Quote
Chris Bergin - 3/7/2007  5:08 PM

.......We'll be moving to STS-122 Processing updates once she's back in the OPF. We'll either start a new thread, or keep going with the current STS-122 processing thread (problem being it was Discovery's flight before the manifest swap-around, but as Jim will tell us, the payload and mission are the same...just the orbiter has changed)........

So maybe there's room for all such angles?

Offline madmardy

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #49 on: 07/03/2007 07:36 pm »
Quote
Jason Davies - 3/7/2007  7:07 PM

QUOTE]

So maybe there's room for all such angles?

No one has said Jim can't have his views
But you have to respect other peoples opinions and feelings.
So if people love a paticular orbiter then great, if, like Jim they are just machines that do a days work, a ollection of pieces then thats fine too as long as one does not critiscise the other for their views.

There really is no right or wrong on this i feel

Ps
the poll so far is very interesting, i mean, i know discovery is my paticular favourate but i didn't realise she was so popular

Offline azman818

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #50 on: 07/03/2007 07:51 pm »
Have to say Discovery since she flew both return to flight missions.

Offline David BAE

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #51 on: 07/03/2007 08:09 pm »
I remember watching STS-1 and I was hugely impressed with what I saw, so I'll have to go with Columbia, sadly lost.

Offline BenB5150

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #52 on: 07/03/2007 08:40 pm »
I like them all but if I have to choose favorites it goes in this order: Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour, Challenger, & Enterprise.

Ben

Offline MySDCUserID

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #53 on: 07/03/2007 10:25 pm »
Quote
Jim - 1/7/2007  8:42 PM

This sort of thing (the poll) trivalize the space program.   Just as some say that Atlantis should 'get" the HSM mission since it has yet to do one, which is meaningless.  An orbiter is an orbiter.  They had no choice in the missions assigned to them, nor did they have an additional affect on those missions.  To me, the payload defines the mission, the specific orbiter used is no different than the ET assigned to the mission.  Having worked on over 30 shuttle missions and actually going inside the orbiters (see my album), I don't which orbiter goes with what mission.  In the photos, I don't even know which orbiter I am in.

RIGHT ON!!  I'm with you a 100% on this Jim.

Offline Jordaxe12

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #54 on: 07/03/2007 10:49 pm »
I chose Columbia.  She was the first orbiter to launch into space and to me the best. Its just sad that she had to go the way she did.

Offline Fabio Zarantonello

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #55 on: 07/03/2007 11:28 pm »
Columbia.
Simply the First!

Offline Oberon_Command

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #56 on: 07/03/2007 11:35 pm »
I chose Atlantis.

Quote
Jordaxe12 - 3/7/2007  3:49 PM

I chose Columbia.  She was the first orbiter to launch into space and to me the best. Its just sad that she had to go the way she did.

It's a better end than being turned into scrap metal on the ground. In my view, it's better for a spacecraft to die in flight than to be melted down and turned into other stuff.

Then again, I'm one of those people who (if I can afford it) would have his dead body launched into space and cremated through a cadaver reentry, so you might not share that opinion.

Offline MySDCUserID

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #57 on: 07/03/2007 11:55 pm »
Nobody's grinding them down into scrap metal.

Offline Jordaxe12

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #58 on: 07/04/2007 12:16 am »
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Oberon_Command - 3/7/2007  6:35 PM

I chose Atlantis.

It's a better end than being turned into scrap metal on the ground. In my view, it's better for a spacecraft to die in flight than to be melted down and turned into other stuff.

Then again, I'm one of those people who (if I can afford it) would have his dead body launched into space and cremated through a cadaver reentry, so you might not share that opinion.


Why would you want it to die during a flight, It would kill the crew, and you wouldn't have much of the vehicle left. And even at the end of its days would said it would be scraped the could put it in museums and keep it on display.

P.S Columbia is the best!!!

Offline Austin

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Re: Favorite Orbiter?
« Reply #59 on: 07/04/2007 12:51 am »
Quote
Jim - 1/7/2007  9:42 PM

This sort of thing (the poll) trivalize the space program.   Just as some say that Atlantis should 'get" the HSM mission since it has yet to do one, which is meaningless.  An orbiter is an orbiter.  They had no choice in the missions assigned to them, nor did they have an additional affect on those missions.  To me, the payload defines the mission, the specific orbiter used is no different than the ET assigned to the mission.  Having worked on over 30 shuttle missions and actually going inside the orbiters (see my album), I don't which orbiter goes with what mission.  In the photos, I don't even know which orbiter I am in.

But those who fly the shuttle would disagree.  Did you happen to see Crippen's moving tribute to Columbia?  Why do you think he gave such a moving speech if "an orbiter is just an orbiter?"  There are some differences between each orbiter -- astronauts will tell you they have a different feel when piloting.  

In any event, Discovery has always been my personal fave -- even though I haven't flown her in awhile.    ;)

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