Shuttle Discovery Makes Final Roll-Over

[APG85]

From Collectspace.com:

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-090910a.html

From the Kennedy Space Center Media Gallery:

Last edited by APG85 on Sun Sep 12, 2010 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Cherrybomber13]

IMHO it's a bad idea to kill off the shuttle program until we have something else tested and in the air. Going into space will soon be like catching a cab in Brooklyn, subject to your Russian hacks fare meter. Hope no one forgets their wallet up on the ISS...

[Garth]

I'll believe the whole "Last Flight" thing when I see it. There was enormous hype for Atlantis's last, "Last Flight" and now she may be flown again.

When I was watching the coverage of that launch, the commentators were describing the shuttle retirement as "the long good-bye" because of the ambiguity of when the actual "Last Flight" would be. Setting aside the operational/practical stupidity of killing the current US manned space program without a replacement even in the pipeline (the whole public/private "partnership" to replace Constellation looks like smoke & mirrors/vaporware) there are an ENORMOUS number of political considerations with shutting down STS. I wouldn't be surprised to see half-a**ed efforts to keep the program going on a flight-by-flight basis ...

[APG85]

I'll believe the whole "Last Flight" thing when I see it. There was enormous hype for Atlantis's last, "Last Flight" and now she may be flown again.

I wouldn't be surprised to see half-a**ed efforts to keep the program going on a flight-by-flight basis ...

The money is gone and we've begun dismantling the infrastructure to support the program. We can "eek" out another flight for Atlantis with the hardware left, but that's about it. No more external tanks, no more SRB production, people are being laid off as we speak. We are at the point of no return without a massive infusion of money...