Last Shuttle Launch

[CajunAmos]

I actually thought this video from the NASA site was pretty cool as well.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/video...a_id=100262181

[CajunAmos]

Below are a couple of links to planned future space program actions involving Mars. None look like manned for at minimum 10+ years.

Maven
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/prog.../future/maven/

ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/prog...re/exomarstgo/

US & European Space Agency's (ESA's) ExoMars rover
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/prog...ture/mars2018/

Further programs to return Mars samples to earth
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/prog...utureMissions/

Possible future manned mission
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/index.html

[NewsCopy]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Atlantis and four astronauts rocketed into orbit Friday on NASA's last space shuttle voyage, dodging bad weather and delighting hundreds of thousands of spectators on hand to witness the end of an era. It will be at least ...

The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The last spacewalk of NASA's space shuttle era is under way nearly 250 miles above Earth. Space station astronauts Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan Jr. ventured out Tuesday morning. They'll retrieve a broken ammonia pump outside ...

The rest of the story

via Bing

[BabbForHeisman]

_ I think a manned mission to Mars is in the planning stages. I saw some shows on the NASA channel, and the project seems to be well on the way.

I think they also plan to use a cross between the shuttle and the old Apollo rocket as a launch vehicle for personnel and materials. It would use an Apollo like main rocket, with outboard recoverable solid rocket boosters. My understanding is it's more economical than having a single vehicle do both at the same time.

Hopefully BFH can lead us to some updated info on plans and timelines. _

That's actually a pretty good summary. Let me back up and try to answer everyone's questions:

The shuttle has been around for 30 years and has been one heck of a vehicle. But like any good vehicle, if you put enough miles on it, there will eventually be a time when you need to move on to something else.

The shuttle has been great at what it does. Its basically like a 18-wheeler that goes to space. You load it up with cargo and away it goes. We've launched nearly every component of the International Space Station in the shuttle's payload bay. Most people don't realize how big the space station is. The current volume is around 34,000 ft3. For a point of comparison, if you assume 10 foot ceilings, that's like a 3,400 ft2 house, which is pretty sizable. Now consider that when you are on earth, the floor is the only livable surface in the house. When you are in space, all surfaces are livable. So it seems a lot bigger than that.

Now that the space station is complete, the shuttle's job is over. Why is that? Because its time for humans to once again explore beyond low earth orbit (the station flies at ~200 miles up). It's time to go beyond that. The moon, Mars, even an asteroid are all potential destinations.

So why can't the shuttle go there? For the same reason an 18-wheeler can't go very far on a gallon of gas. It's meant for hauling cargo, not for efficient long distance travel. We are currently working on developing a new vehicle (called Orion) that will be a scaled-up, high tech version of an Apollo capsule. It will be strapped on top of a bigger and better rocket than this country has ever produced. Call it the space version of a smart car...not so much cargo, but it can go a long way on a gallon of gas.

Current plans show that Orion will be ready to fly sometime in the 2016-2017 timeframe. You might hear a lot of people out there saying that NASA doesn't have a plan. In a lot of respects, that's true. The current administration has not authorized us to plan a mission to any one particular place. But they have authorized us to build a vehicle. And we're building a vehicle capable of going to virtually any place. Without getting to political, I think the hope is that a new administration down the line will say "we want NASA to go to ____", and we'll be able to say "cool, we have this vehicle lying around that will do just that."

[BabbForHeisman]

_ Any UL logo's on the hardware this trip? _

Haha, you didn't see the Ragin' Cajun flag hanging off the back end at liftoff?

[BabbForHeisman]

For those of you still keeping up, landing is scheduled for 4:56 am central on Thursday.

My last shift in Mission Control is tomorrow from 5:30am - 2:30pm. If you turn on NASA TV, you'll probably see me there.

[CajunAmos]

For those of you still keeping up, landing is scheduled for 4:56 am central on Thursday.

My last shift in Mission Control is tomorrow from 5:30am - 2:30pm. If you turn on NASA TV, you'll probably see me there.

Is your shift the entire time?

[RaginFan2]

_ For those of you still keeping up, landing is scheduled for 4:56 am central on Thursday.

My last shift in Mission Control is tomorrow from 5:30am - 2:30pm. If you turn on NASA TV, you'll probably see me there. _

For those of us who don't know what you look like, are you going to be sporting a Ragin' Cajun hat or something??? Best wishes to you and your NASA/contractor cohorts of the final hours of the flying space shuttle! It has been a great vehicle/system for us all! Thanks for all of the work you and your colleagues have done over the years!

[wcd35]

After shuttle lands, Mission Control workers will be out of work

HOUSTON - In the geeky world of space engineering, this large, high-ceilinged room is close to holy. Inside, people speak in hushed tones and observe time-honored traditions.

The place is Mission Control. Beginning moments after launch, flight controllers choreograph everything astronauts do, from waking and eating to walking in space.

“That building, we think of it as a cathedral of spaceflight,’’ said John McCullough, head of NASA’s flight director office. Flight controllers are “the keepers and enforcers of traditions’’ that date back to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo days.

“You just feel the ghosts when you are in that room,’’ McCullough said.

Read more:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...e_out_of_work/

[Mr. Mac]

Great job crew now bring that baby home.