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#800
by
Terry Rocket
on 22 Jul, 2011 05:24
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The Shuttle fleet and their workforce will always be the best in the world. Even if we're launching Saturn V class vehicles, and commercial companies and launching 10 people a week, nothing will ever compare to the capability in one package Shuttle.
I agree the future will be fun, but only if successive Presidents get behind the same plan, so we to focus on Mars, and we need a consistent public wish for it.
I hope that is what happens.
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#801
by
Jamie Young
on 22 Jul, 2011 05:36
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I know it's very unlikely, but I hope the massive interest in this mission and the massive negativity about the end in the media makes the politicians think twice and at least protect Endeavour and Atlantis pending a review.
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#802
by
hanschristian
on 22 Jul, 2011 05:56
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Hi to all...
I'm still a bit numb about all of this... I got up early thursday morning (Philippine time/GMT +8) just to see the last visible pass of the orbiter that I'll ever see...
but unlike before, this one has that "heavy, sinking" feeling to it... and its never letting up even today...
and to make it worse, most people here in our place doesn't seem to even care... which I always expect, since the media doesn't care much too... (however, it did made it into one of the more well known local broadsheets, kudos to them for making it...)
When it was first announced that the shuttle program will be retired this early, I didn't believed it will actually be done at first... with all of the capabilities of the shuttle system, plus with all of the valuable personnel that may (which, unfortunately, became a certainty) be laid off, I was convinced it won't happen, until a vew vehicle becomes operational... but sadly... it did... (like some of here, I'm still wishing that they'll reconsider putting the orbiters back to service... however unlikely...)
sadness aside, I also want to give my big thanks to everyone that worked on the program, also for the entire NASA family... all of you guys have achieved something that is unequalled by anything being done today, and probably in the near future...
a big thanks also to sir Chris and the people here at NSF... for setting up this site and providing an inside look at all things happening at the space program efforts, sharing tech data for anyone interested, and making everyone more educated about all of this... for me, you guys are part of the unsung heroes of the space program...
I'll do my part eventually of educating young people here about these undertakings, so that they'll have something to look forward to in the future, and as my way of expressing my gratitude to all of you guys...
lets keep this site alive for future generations...
hans
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#803
by
MadameConcorde
on 22 Jul, 2011 07:18
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Meet the winners.
Moscow on Thursday declared it is now "the era of the Soyuz" after the US shuttle's last flight left the Russian system as the sole means for delivering astronauts to the International Space Station.
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-declares-era-soyuz-shuttle-133921047.htmlSpace Shuttles are now history.
The US administration is in shambles. Raise the debt ceiling or default.
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#804
by
Mapperuo
on 22 Jul, 2011 08:49
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Meet the winners.
Moscow on Thursday declared it is now "the era of the Soyuz" after the US shuttle's last flight left the Russian system as the sole means for delivering astronauts to the International Space Station.
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-declares-era-soyuz-shuttle-133921047.html
Space Shuttles are now history.
The US administration is in shambles. Raise the debt ceiling or default.
Article has a bit of a flaw:
The shuttle programme was shadowed by two disasters -- Columbia exploded in 2003 and Challenger was destroyed in 1986 in accidents that killed a total of 14 crew members.
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#805
by
Ford Mustang
on 22 Jul, 2011 10:39
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Hmm, let's see if I can get all my thoughts out correctly, now that it's been over 24 hours since Atlantis landed, and the Shuttle program has come to an end.
Firstly, I'd like to thank all the tens of thousands of workers who have put hands on these birds, supported those who have put hands on these girls, or who were remotely involved in the space program. It's because of you guys that we are sitting here in awe of what you have created, and kept going. It's been a pleasure watching you guys have fun at what you do, a very passionate bunch who didn't stop until the very end.
Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone here at NASASpaceFlight for following along, or helping with coverage and articles. It takes a dedicated team to cover a Shuttle mission 24/7, especially when the schedules usually conflict with work or other activities. I know this past mission was difficult for myself working the night shift, and I feel like I missed out on a lot. I've enjoyed coming back day after day to catch up to where we were on the mission and how things were progressing. Thanks, especially, to Chris Bergin, for his dedication to the site. If you are ever in the US, come see me, sir.
Now that the thanks are over, it's time for the emotions to come out.
I don't really feel sad... per se. I got the chance to witness two launches (STS-129 and STS-133), covering them for this site. I cried when Discovery launched on STS-133, and I cried when she landed. I also cried when we left Endeavour in the VAB, but that's because it hit me that I'd never be back during operational Shuttle, which I wasn't. I didn't cry at all for STS-134 nor STS-135. Call me crazy, but I think that's because I wasn't "in tune" with the last two missions - work has been crazy. I'm also more... proud, rather than sad, at the moment. Yes, the Shuttle program has ENDED, it's done. However, look at what we accomplished in 30 years of flying these amazing machines. We've built a Space Station, we've launched multiple satellites, we've launched Hubble. We should hold our head up high in memory, not down in sadness. These girls were amazing, and one day in the near future, we'll all be able to get close to them.
In closing, I'd just like to thank this website for their hospitality, this has been the friendliest bunch of people I've had the chance to "work with" - and I don't just mean Chris Bergin, I mean all the forum members. While some qualms come up, for the most part everyone is very respective and enjoys what we do here. Thank you for helping, even by reading an article. Please, stay with us during the gap... whatever is next, the news will be here first, and we'll be covering it as it happens.
Thank you, everybody.
-Steven
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#806
by
jakef
on 22 Jul, 2011 10:45
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Well I'm not a big poster, but have been an L2 member since August, 2010 (and boy do I wish I found it sooner!), and again want to thank Chris and everyone here at NSF for this great website.
As I sat here listening to some of my favorite music, and looking through some of my shuttle pictures that span the whole program I couldn't help but get that dreaded lump in my throat! What a wonderful 30 year ride this has been.
I will always remember getting up early in the morning, with rest of my family when I was 6 in April, 1981 to watch Columbia launch. Who can forget how excited John Young was when he and Bob Crippen returned a couple of days later.
Or how about STS-6, Challengers first launch, I was hooked, she immediately became my favorite orbiter. I remember watching STS-7 launch, and my mom being really excited about Sally Ride becoming the first woman in space. STS-8 still one of my favorite launches, the first night launch, and landing.
The Space Shuttle was on a pedestal, it was larger than life, and for a boy who didn't have video games to bury his face into, and didn't even have a TV in his room, this was the stuff dreams were made out of.
It all changed at 8:40am on that cold day in January, 1986. I was 11, and that was my first real life reality check. It was a numbing feeling to watch live, as we lost 7 heroes, and a beautiful spaceship. That was, and still is one of toughest days I can remember, teachers openly weeping in the halls, schoolwork coming to a stop, school counselors making the rounds, to help people cope.
I spent the next year or so, wondering if I would see a space shuttle again.
The launch of STS-26 was, excitement, pride, relief, that the Shuttle program was continuing, Discovery looked great launching, and we were finlay back in space! I dint think the great majority of us realized how close we came to loosing Atlantis on STS-27 until later, but thank goodness she came back safe. (the stories about how Hoot Gibson was going to let Houston have it if things started to go wrong are great!).
There was a long list of great Shuttle flights that followed, STS-30 (Magellan), STS-34 (Galileo), and STS-31 (Hubble) just to name some. There were also the Shuttle-Mir missions to get us ready for the ISS.
Endeavour got us started on the ultimate project with STS-88, and off we went until February 1, 2003, when for the second time i watched live, and speechless, as again we lost 7 heroes, and another beautiful spaceship.
I remember when I first heard that the Shuttle was going to be retired by 2010, and kept hoping somehow that would change, but it never did, and as Shuttle helped build the ISS flight, after flight, and the end got closer I tried to enjoy every flight, soak in every detail, and prepare myself for the day when the final wheel stop would occur. That day came on Thursday,and It was just as hard as I imagined it would be!
To all the NASA, and contractor employees who have played a part in this great chapter of our lives, THANK YOU, you will never be forgotten!
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#807
by
Specifically-Impulsive
on 22 Jul, 2011 12:20
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- No inflight SSME failure ever.
STS 51-F? Center SSME shutdown prematurely.
As for the rest, I concur, cheers to them never happening. After ascent I was thinking "Goodbye RTLS and TAL! All that practice, and you never had to be used."
Thanks for asking about that, Skylon. I remembered that flight when I was posting. The 51-F shutdown (abort ATO) was due to a faulty sensor, not to an engine failure itself.
The engine shut down prematurely and it affected the trajectory. I think you're splitting hairs here. There was almost a 2nd failure that day too.
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#808
by
Specifically-Impulsive
on 22 Jul, 2011 12:22
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...
SHUTTLE FIRSTS THAT WE CELEBRATE FOR NOT HAPPENING:
- No RTLS abort ever.
- No TAL abort ever.
- No inflight SSME failure ever.
- No OMS engine failure ever.
- No contingency EVA to manually close the payload bay doors ever.
...
I know my list is incomplete, so I welcome any and all additions!
David, I think you should add:
- No ECAL/Contingency abort ever.
Pam Melroy once told me how difficult is to accomplish an ECAL abort and the very tiny margins involved.
And perhaps you should also mention:
- No Ku-band antenna jettison ever required.
- No RMS jettison ever required.
I also think that the RMS never had failures worthy a mention. But I am not sure about that.
On an early flight there was a electrical short in one of the RMS joints. The failure was significant enough that they had to cradle it in backup. If it had happened on today's missions, it would have been impossible to carry out the TPS surveys.
Note: the design of the arm's joint servos is completely different now, from that early config.
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#809
by
psloss
on 22 Jul, 2011 12:31
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Thanks for asking about that, Skylon. I remembered that flight when I was posting. The 51-F shutdown (abort ATO) was due to a faulty sensor, not to an engine failure itself.
The engine shut down prematurely and it affected the trajectory. I think you're splitting hairs here. There was almost a 2nd failure that day too.
Agree -- the engine stopped before it was supposed to, which has big consequences, regardless of which engine component(s) were the root cause.
The engine is also supposed to 'fail safe' (which it did) and this was one of the sensors that could prompt that.
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#810
by
bodge
on 22 Jul, 2011 12:35
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Thank you, Chris, for keeping this thread open. I'm sure folks will have a variety of thoughts to share in the days ahead.
I added my reflections on space flight to the FD-13 thread, so I'll add some specific shuttle comments to this FD-14 thread.
I just finished watching the William Shatner-narrated shuttle tribute, and the tears were flowing again. This whole recent period has been emotionally draining (I couldn't watch the Challenger portion of it, as it hurts too much).
Some thoughts I want to share:
SHUTTLE AMAZING FIRSTS:
- The world's first spacecraft that returns from orbit with wings and wheels, and lands on a runway.
- First spacecraft in history to be launched into space more than one time (Columbia).
- First shirt-sleeve, 14psi sea-level cabin atmosphere in space.
- First general purpose spacecraft.
- First recurring use of a fleet of production space vehicles.
- First large-capacity windows in a spacecraft, and the most total windows on a spacecraft (11).
SHUTTLE FIRSTS THAT WE CELEBRATE FOR NOT HAPPENING:
- No RTLS abort ever.
- No TAL abort ever.
- No inflight SSME failure ever.
- No OMS engine failure ever.
- No contingency EVA to manually close the payload bay doors ever.
SHUTTLE TRIUMPHS TO CELEBRATE IN THE YEARS AHEAD:
- The astounding versatility of the shuttle - satellite launcher, orbiting science laboratory, planetary probe dispatcher, telescope repairman, and space station assembly truck.
- Opening up space flight to a broader range of people beyond just test pilots.
- The amazing dedication and focus of the NASA employees and contractor personnel who maintained and operated the fleet with superb professionalism, to the very last day.
I know my list is incomplete, so I welcome any and all additions!
Thank you,
David
Adding:
-No use of the docking system pyros ever
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#811
by
psloss
on 22 Jul, 2011 12:49
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I shot this video from the 15 end of the SLF this morning. I edited out the three minutes between the sonic booms and landing.
This is really cool, thanks for the pointer.
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#812
by
Lee Jay
on 22 Jul, 2011 13:00
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Adding:
-No use of the docking system pyros ever
Were the landing gear pyros ever used?
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#813
by
psloss
on 22 Jul, 2011 13:02
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silly question, which webcam is that, i don't have it on my list ?
"Houston TV" (a subset of which was available to me) -- while not Internet-based, and probably follows a different route than the KSC public web, they're ultimately pulling from the same CCTV resources at Kennedy.
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#814
by
Specifically-Impulsive
on 22 Jul, 2011 13:17
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Adding:
-No use of the docking system pyros ever
Were the landing gear pyros ever used?
The nose landing gear assist pyro fires at every deploy. The backup gear release pyros were never used. In flight.
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#815
by
Maarten
on 22 Jul, 2011 13:34
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Being a long time L2 member but not a frequent poster, I too feel obligated to share my feelings on the ending of the Space Shuttle program.
I can still remember when I was a 12 year old boy, racing home after school on my bike to watch the launch of the Columbia on her very first flight. From that moment on I was hooked. I started following the US space program, reading everything I could find and learning english in the proces.
The love for the space program has stayed with me until this very day. Having never had the opportunity to actually witness a launch in person, I decided a few weeks ago that I had to go to Florida for the final launch.
So there I was on the 8th of july, watching from KSC, as Atlantis took to the skies on final time. And I cried as she lifted of the pad. It was a fantastic sight and it really was a very emotional experience. Yesterday I watched as she landed one final time, and again I cried. This time because the shuttle program is over, something that has been a big part of my life for 30 years.
But... I made a promise to myself and my 3 year old son that we will return in a few years time to once again see humans launch from KSC. Everyone who worked on the shuttle program should look back in pride, it has been a fantastic journey. And although it hurts today, I'm sure you'll be able to appreciate the fantastic accomplishments over time.
To Chris en all the regular contributors of this amazing site; thank you very much for the best site on the internet. Let's keep it alive in the years to come to report the next step in the exploration of space, whatever it may be!
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#816
by
vsrinivas
on 22 Jul, 2011 13:38
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Adding also:
- No switchover to BFS from PASS.
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#817
by
TFGQ
on 22 Jul, 2011 14:12
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ok it has been almost 30 hrs now since 104 landed
To padrat thanks alot for your hard work and dedication your serve your country with pride and honor
I would like thank the following people
Bob seick
bob crippen
james harrighton
dave king
Sue gross
Kay grinter
mike leibach
pepper phillips
mike wetmore
bob cabana and the 65 columbia crew
stokes Mcmillian
lisa malone
Hugh Harris
Steve Nesbitt
richard truly
Jim combs
Best Adminstrator mr O'Kefee
to Pres Bush and Obama thanks for killing the shuttle program and kiss my
In memory of Ruth Harrison who was a tech asst to Dave King
In memory of the STS 51-L crew and STS 107
Best commenter line
STS 95 lisa malone
Best memory
i have seeing columbia sts 55 on the pad Seeing Columbia land on sts 62 in the Vip area and seeing sts 63 Discovery launch at night
Best launch Director it's a tie Bob seick and mike lienbach
Scarest launch sts 93
scarest rsls on the pad sts 41-d and sts 68
Favorite launch pad 39-B
Favorite bird endeavour
worst memory 51-L and STS-107
favorite tv reporter Jay Barbee
favorite on line paper florida today
i like to thank everyhere here i am not going anywhere anytime soon
Chris thanks for providing this site and thanks for allowing me to participate
Favorite part of the launch the sparklers and when the tower in buried in srb exaust
Best suprise
a vist from the late ruth harrison while in Tn at parents campground that i worked at
(ok i had heads up notice from KSC)
And Jed person for the recommadation for mechanical engineering letter to U of M
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#818
by
JayP
on 22 Jul, 2011 14:15
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Adding:
-No use of the docking system pyros ever
Were the landing gear pyros ever used?
The nose landing gear assist pyro fires at every deploy. The backup gear release pyros were never used. In flight.
They also never needed to use the PDRS jettison, overhead window or side hatch pyro systems either. Nor all of the various burst disks on the various presurized systems (not pyro, but you get the idea)
Therre's a lot of contingency systems on the shuttle that were never actually employed. Which is all very good.
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#819
by
Rocket Science
on 22 Jul, 2011 15:19
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Allow me to quote Forrest Gump: “and just like that, she was gone…”
Regards
Robert
