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#360
by
John44
on 20 Jul, 2011 21:09
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#361
by
Ronsmytheiii
on 20 Jul, 2011 21:14
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#362
by
Satori
on 20 Jul, 2011 21:22
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...and this will be the end, my friends. I'll will miss the shuttles like a friend long gone.
In Portugal the July 21st is the day Man set foot on the Moon. It will also now be remembered as the day the Space Shuttle Program ended.
I will see the shuttle to land on KSC a last time. A sad moment... with tears...
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#363
by
iskyfly
on 20 Jul, 2011 21:43
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Even though the Shuttle program will be ending I hope we can still keep it alive here by asking and answering questions about the Shuttle. I know that I have tons of questions still to ask and tons of material to go through on here (and might even get L2
) that will lead to even more questions. I hope all those that are in the know and those that were involved with Shuttle stick around here. I've learned so much from you.
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#364
by
Citabria
on 20 Jul, 2011 22:01
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Happy landing, Atlantis! You are special to me, since you launched before my eyes twice (STS-79 and STS-132). And thanks to NASASpaceFlight.com for providing excellent Web coverage of all the space missions and programs.
I have been a huge fan of space exploration since Gemini 5, when I was 5. I watched Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon from my parents' bed. I've been to KSC twice, JSC twice, and Huntsville three times, as well as NASM and USAFM several times. I have built many rocket models, read many astronaut biographies and space history books, and watched many films and videos.
I welcome the retirement of STS and look forward to future programs. Remember there were nearly six years between the last Apollo and the first Shuttle and I doubt it will be that long before the next crew launches from the USA.
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#365
by
FinalFrontier
on 20 Jul, 2011 22:06
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Going to be up all night for the launch. Taking work off for the rest of the week
Any idea on our exact landing time?
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#366
by
dmac
on 20 Jul, 2011 22:10
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1981 - 2011 A SPACE ODYSSEY
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#367
by
saturnapollo
on 20 Jul, 2011 22:14
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Been trying to watch the FD13 highlights but it keeps stopping and buffering. As I'm trying to record it, that's not much use.
I assume that there is suddenly a lot of hits on the site.
Keith
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#368
by
speez
on 20 Jul, 2011 22:26
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In Portugal the July 21st is the day Man set foot on the Moon. It will also now be remembered as the day the Space Shuttle Program ended.
------------------------------
On a related note:
On July 21, 1969 the Apollo 11 crew (departed the Moon's surface) while the world held its "collective breath" and wished them Godspeed and a safe journey back to Earth.
So exactly 42 years from that liftoff (or start of a return), we now have STS-135 about to perform its return.
As noted on this website previously, the STS-1 mission launched on April 12, 1981 (exactly 20 years after Yuri Gagarin's famous first flight into space by mankind).
My thanks and gratitude to ALL who have worked on the SSP over the last decades...Godspeed and safe landing to the STS-135 crew.
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#369
by
Scorpius
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:02
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Just wanted to say thanks to Chris for the brilliant NSF and everyone else who has contributed to this forum. It has not been easy to follow this final mission from the UK with a regular 9 to 5 job (and strictly monitored internet access at work!) so the minute by minute update threads have been invaluable for catching up each evening.
Here's wishing Atlantis and her crew a safe ride home tomorrow.
No sad faces guys..... celebrate the incredible legacy of discovery and scientific advancement that these awesome spacecraft have given us over the last three decades and will continue to do so, in ISS, for many years to come.
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#370
by
robertross
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:02
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#371
by
Space Pete
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:03
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Before I sign off for the night, I'd like to share my Atlantis poem again.
Ode to Atlantis
By Pete Harding
Farewell Atlantis, you’ve done us all proud,
Your wings were so graceful, your engines so loud.
You accomplished so much, you showed us the way,
The debt we all owe you, we can never repay.
You inspired and awed us with your elegance and your style,
There’ll be nothing quite like you for a very long while.
So bring ‘em back home, safely once more,
As you glide down to Earth, you’ll leave us in awe.
When you roll to a stop, we’ll weep and we’ll cry,
For we know never again, will you take to the sky.
But you’ll always live on, in both the heart and the mind,
We will never forget you – you were one of a kind.
So as you end your career, you do so with pride,
To you we say Hail Atlantis – thanks for the ride!
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#372
by
saturnapollo
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:06
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A very moving tribute Pete.
Keith
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#373
by
Rocket Rancher
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:16
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This kind of sums it up for those of us left at KSC today.
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#374
by
manishiyer
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:21
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Thank you Pete ... that was awesome ... I did have some tears streaming down my cheeks as I read that.
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#375
by
robertross
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:38
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Very moving Pete. Great poem.
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#376
by
psloss
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:43
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Great -- Guest Commentary coming up is with Shannon Lucid. Was hoping they would be able to talk with her on one of these missions.
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#377
by
stuart_wildcat
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:43
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Many thanks to all who have made the Space Shuttle program possible.
I was one of those that learned the hard way about "live news" when we watched the Challenger launch from our school classrooms that day. I don't always have the best memory but I do remember being in my junior high English class watching and not really knowing what to think or feel at the time. I am glad that I have made many better memories of the shuttle now.
I have lived in Florida for several years now and have tried to use the chance to see more of what goes on but not really until the last several flights. I decided that no matter what I was going to see each of the "final" launches live and have done just that, even though after STS-132 I had to get accross the state to pick up my mother-in-law so I could drop her and my wife off at the Tampa airport so they could go to Philadelphia for my sister-in-law's college graduation and wedding week. I hadn't yet learned the "back ways" home from the launch and they were minutes away from not being able to check luggage for their flight! Maybe if Atlantis had pulled the "is the beanie retracted?" trick then they might not have made it!
I might try to get some sleep here and head over for the landing because even if it is 100% dark and we don't see anything we will have "been there" for the "full circle" trip.
Another big shout out to all those from Chris on down that make this site what it is. I work in software and the model on here reminds me of open source software development where you have a few "core" people that drive most of the activity and then many others that contribute what interests them. Perfect example is the SRB recovery thread I started just to collect all the info in one place for those that wanted it but it quickly became a place for pictures, live updates, tips, etc.
Maybe somebody can point all of us "mainly shuttle" type people where to keep up on the latest threads of what is happening next because I certainly plan to be there from the start for the next vehicle! With this site I know I will get more info than I will know what to do with!
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#378
by
stockman
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:45
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probably a repeat pic but I must say, I am going to miss that arm....
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#379
by
robertross
on 20 Jul, 2011 23:46
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Great -- Guest Commentary coming up is with Shannon Lucid. Was hoping they would be able to talk with her on one of these missions.
) that will lead to even more questions. I hope all those that are in the know and those that were involved with Shuttle stick around here. I've learned so much from you.