kkeenan 13 #1 July 21, 2011 I just returned from visiting Atlantis after she was rolled off the runway. It's a sad day for the U. S. Space Program. A lot of politicians are spouting rhetoric about the hopeful future, but the future of manned spaceflight is so mired down in political red tape, it will be many years before a U. S. government manned spacecraft flies. Luckily, private industry is going for it and will probably do a better job. Kevin Keenan Kennedy Space Ctr. FL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongWayToFall 0 #2 July 21, 2011 I watched the landing live, nice work by those guys. The end of runway shot when they are flaring is impressive to say the least. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sacex250 0 #3 July 21, 2011 Is it just me, or do the shuttles look just as modern today as they did in the 1970's?It's all been said before, no sense repeating it here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #4 July 21, 2011 Quote Luckily, private industry is going for it and will probably do a better job. Kevin Keenan Kennedy Space Ctr. FL Some of the political spin claimed that that was part of the intent of our latest non-move into manned space flight. But are there any companies really working towards the goal of putting 3-4 people into low Earth orbit on man rated rockets? Or will we be riding Soyuz for the next decade or two. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #5 July 21, 2011 >But are there any companies really working towards the goal of putting >3-4 people into low Earth orbit on man rated rockets? SpaceX is the closest. They have orbited and recovered a payload and are planning: Falcon 1 - two stage small launcher (a few hundred KG) - small satellite launches. Is a commercial launcher. Falcon 9 - Larger launcher, can be man-rated. Two orbital flight so far. Dragon capsule - able to launch up to 7 people into low Earth orbit. One flight so far of a mockup. Next step is a flyby of the ISS followed by a docking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 13 #6 July 21, 2011 QuoteDragon capsule - able to launch up to 7 people into low Earth orbit. One flight so far of a mockup. Next step is a flyby of the ISS followed by a docking. The orbital flight of the first Dragon capsule returned a large cheese wheel safely after two orbits. Not exactly a man-rating qualification, but proved the point. SpaceX is on the verge of approval by NASA to combine the next two steps into one, with an ISS docking on the next flight. http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php_____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #7 July 22, 2011 QuoteThe orbital flight of the first Dragon capsule returned a large cheese wheel safely after two orbits. Pfft. Back in the day, they used dogs and chimps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nanook 1 #8 July 22, 2011 QuoteIs it just me, or do the shuttles look just as modern today as they did in the 1970's? Yeah. It's style didn't age. Guess functionality beats campy futuristic looks all the time. Look at the MD-11, 747. . .ect._____________________________ "The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nutz 0 #9 July 22, 2011 I'm not supposed to talk about it but you are pretty much on. I think there are 5 companies building a crew capsule now. "Don't! Get! Eliminated!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 13 #10 July 22, 2011 Quote I'm not supposed to talk about it but you are pretty much on. I think there are 5 companies building a crew capsule now. Jeez, I hope I'm not divulging Secret info, but if they come after me, I'll tell them that you leaked it. You must mean: Boeing / CST-100 Sierra Nevada / Dream Chaser Orbital Sciences / Prometheus Excalibur / Almaz Blue Origin /Unnamed SpaceX / Dragon Several of these have received NASA funds under the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev-2) to develop crewed spacecraft. (All public knowledge, by the way. ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bertt 0 #11 July 22, 2011 The whole space program, manned and unmanned, has been one of America's and humanity's finest hours. I hope this is just the end of this chapter in what will continue to be an amazing story. Thanks for the photo.You don't have to outrun the bear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #12 July 22, 2011 >You must mean: Don't forget the Roton! Not many engineering challenges there; just a hypersonic aerospike engine spinning at 720RPM. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 13 #13 July 22, 2011 Quote Don't forget the Roton! The last I heard, Roton was mounted as a static display at Mojave airport. It was probably just ahead of its time._____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
