Atlantis Gets Towed

[APG85]

Shuttle Atlantis gets towed back to the OPF to be prepared for her final flight in this nice set of pictures. The last flight for this space veteran will be in the spring...

http://www.launchphotography.com/STS-129_tow.html

[mustangdriver]

THat is the one that is going to end up at the NMUSAF. I just got a e-mail about more fundraising.

[Holedigger]

And here I was thinking that they just parked in the wrong spot and got towed. Man, I'd hate to pay the towing and impound fee on that one!
Guess I am going to have to try to get over there for one of the last shots. It has been years since I made that trek.

[Garth]

THat is the one that is going to end up at the NMUSAF. I just got a e-mail about more fundraising.

Fundraising attempt aside, that may be in doubt. NASM has dibs on Discovery, but now both Kennedy AND Johnson want flown orbiters (even if, in the case of Johnson, the orbiter will need to be cut apart and reassembled). The service museums (NMUSAF, NNAM, etc) are a step down from the Smithsonian and NASA itself on the rights-of-refusal list.

That would leave Enterprise available. There's a real positive for her anyways: all that's needed is the cost of moving her, as opposed to the full $40+ million for doing the kind of superfund-level hazmat cleanup the three flown shuttles are going to require.

[Pogo]

I know this isn't a forum about space flight, but isn't it kind of less-than-sane to retire our shuttle fleet ..... and depend on Russia for access to the ISS? I keep waiting to hear an uproar of protest, and yet .... so far .... nothing.... <crickets chirping>

[Garth]

I know this isn't a forum about space flight, but isn't it kind of less-than-sane to retire our shuttle fleet ..... and depend on Russia for access to the ISS? I keep waiting to hear an uproar of protest, and yet .... so far .... nothing.... <crickets chirping>

Given that the shuttles have already cost the lives of 14 astronauts, I'd expect to keep hearing the crickets chirp.

Yes, they should still be flown until there's an operational manned replacement. Problem is, what politician (elected or unelected) is going to stick his neck out given the reasonable odds that there'll be another loss? Last time I heard the official odds were 1 in 250 per flight.

[N3Njeff]

Keep em flyin til we get a replacement!!!!! This should have been planned years ago!! Pretty SAD!!

[Avn-Tech]

Group,

While in the Army, I was assigned to Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate (AQTD), Edwards AFB. When the shuttle landed at Edwards AFB, we provided support.

Once while waiting for the shuttle to land, I figured out how much the speeding ticket would be. This was based on $5 for every mile over the speed limit(100K' @ Mach 20, 90K' @ mach 15, ect....). I don't remember how much it was, but it was a bunch.

I worked 4-5 shuttle landings and never actually saw the shuttle land.

Later I worked Security for NASA, and did get a chance to get up close (look in an engine bay and the lower crew compartment.

Oh to remember when I had time to think of things like that!

Laterrrr
Avn-Tech

[Steve Crewdog]

I know this isn't a forum about space flight, but isn't it kind of less-than-sane to retire our shuttle fleet ..... and depend on Russia for access to the ISS? I keep waiting to hear an uproar of protest, and yet .... so far .... nothing.... <crickets chirping>

There's screaming going on, it's just being drowned out by the NIH at Nay-Say. (as Burt Rutan calls it.)

http://www.directlauncher.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIRECT

Here's where the screaming is going on at a geek level of discussion (warning, highly addictive): http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=37.0

I know this isn't a forum about space flight, but isn't it kind of less-than-sane to retire our shuttle fleet ..... and depend on Russia for access to the ISS? I keep waiting to hear an uproar of protest, and yet .... so far .... nothing.... <crickets chirping>

Given that the shuttles have already cost the lives of 14 astronauts, I'd expect to keep hearing the crickets chirp.

Yes, they should still be flown until there's an operational manned replacement. Problem is, what politician (elected or unelected) is going to stick his neck out given the reasonable odds that there'll be another loss? Last time I heard the official odds were 1 in 250 per flight.

When you consider that there have been 129 Shuttle flights and 2 LOV/LOC (Loss of Vehicle/Loss of Crew) mishaps, it's more like 1 in 65.

[maradamx3]

Shuttle Atlantis gets towed back to the OPF to be prepared for her final flight in this nice set of pictures. The last flight for this space veteran will be in the spring...

http://www.launchphotography.com/STS-129_tow.html

From the vantage point those pics were taken, was there a trained camera-toting 'gator doing the honors? Whoever got those looks to be in the weeds!

[AndyG]

I know this isn't a forum about space flight, but isn't it kind of less-than-sane to retire our shuttle fleet ..... and depend on Russia for access to the ISS? I keep waiting to hear an uproar of protest, and yet .... so far .... nothing.... <crickets chirping>

Your absolutely right, it would be very strange for the US to be without a manned system to orbit after all this time.

However, I'd be highly surprised if a replacement, though less 'public' system hasn't been in place for some considerable time. I'd imagine that those 'old fashioned rockets' are not the order of the day either.

[Garth]

When you consider that there have been 129 Shuttle flights and 2 LOV/LOC (Loss of Vehicle/Loss of Crew) mishaps, it's more like 1 in 65.

Yup, that's the actual. The 1-250 is the projected based on all the post-Columbia safety mods.

NO ONE in any authority wants to have their fingerprints on keeping STS alive ... then getting blamed when another orbiter and crew is lost.

[Steve Crewdog]

I tried to find that quote by John Young about reconsidering your line of work when extraordinary measures are being taken to identify your body in the event of mishap...

Check this thread out: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index. ... ic=17623.0
I didn't realize that the Shuttle has had so many close calls. Like there were 4 separate ways STS-1 was almost lost, or STS-37 landed 1600' SHORT of the runway threshold. The only thing that saved them was that they were at Eddy and not KSC.(video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDd4JZlBpiM and notice how far from the TDZ camera they are when they touch down.)

[mustangdriver]

THat is the one that is going to end up at the NMUSAF. I just got a e-mail about more fundraising.

Fundraising attempt aside, that may be in doubt. NASM has dibs on Discovery, but now both Kennedy AND Johnson want flown orbiters (even if, in the case of Johnson, the orbiter will need to be cut apart and reassembled). The service museums (NMUSAF, NNAM, etc) are a step down from the Smithsonian and NASA itself on the rights-of-refusal list.

That would leave Enterprise available. There's a real positive for her anyways: all that's needed is the cost of moving her, as opposed to the full $40+ million for doing the kind of superfund-level hazmat cleanup the three flown shuttles are going to require.

No museum in their right mind would pay $40 million for a shuttle so they were dreaming with that. As for the Kennedy and Johnson, they better get cracking on a building to house the shuttle that is climate controlled and will allow for the shuttles to be open to the public. That is their rules right?

[Django]

I tried to find that quote by John Young about reconsidering your line of work when extraordinary measures are being taken to identify your body in the event of mishap...

I saw this in the link you posted.

"If extreme methods are being taken to identify your body after your dead, maybe you ought to think twice about the job your in" - John Young