Shuttle

[Bigt2863]

Hello, i am new here and wanted to start a discussion regarding the retiring of the space shuttles at the end of this year.
By the way they are up for sale at a low low price of 28 Million, this includes shipping and handling, i kid you not. they will deliver a shuttle to you (as long as you have an adequate storage facility)
OK, back to my story, so the shuttles are retired, probably will be dismantled, after almost 30 years of service. We are then supposed to rely on 40 year old technology space craft to get to and from the IIS? The Soyuz is older then the Shuttles....hello....am i alone on this..
look i know the shuttles need to be retired, however after our presidents State-Of-The-Union speech, America may not have another lifting body to get off the planet...unless the private sector steps in....or the European Space Agency.

your opinions

 

[bushwhacker]

bigt. its a sad commentary on the American public and our Elected Officials but they dont care about space.

Not one President since Kennedy has done anything for the space program and he did it just to beat the Russians.

edited for name of OP

 

[missionunknown]

Shuttle its a sad commentary on the American public and our Elected Officials but they dont care about space.

Not one President since Kennedy has done anything for the space program and he did it just to beat the Russians.

To be fair though kennedy achieved more than anyone could have dreamed, perhaps thats why the american public is apathetic about space. Its a case of been there done that, which is true the usa has been to the moon a whopping six times. They have achieved so much more than any country so the present situation isn't that hard to believe. Europe and asia on the other hand have bigger space appetites i think.

You know what will happen don't you, the shuttle will get a 5 year extension.

 

[Bigt2863]

Don't forget that Reagan wanted that Star Wars missle defense...at least that would have kept us going into space. Yes i was not a huge fan of relying of a lazer missle in space to knock out a nuke...hey does this remind you of the plot of "Spies Like Us"
ok, you can tell my mind wanders...my point is that we Have to care about space exploration, we are destroying this planet at an alarming rate...using up our natural resources...killing off species, deforrestation to make paper (doesn't everyone know that we need trees, they eat carbon dioxide and give back oxygen, guess what, we need that oxygen to breath....golbal warming...i can on and on.
so...we need to find another planet to live on and eventually destroy....
anyone fully support SpaceShip II.....quick go read "orbit" by John J. Nance and get back to me...

 

[missionunknown]

Don't forget that Reagan wanted that Star Wars missle defense...at least that would have kept us going into space. Yes i was not a huge fan of relying of a lazer missle in space to knock out a nuke...hey does this remind you of the plot of "Spies Like Us"
ok, you can tell my mind wanders...my point is that we Have to care about space exploration, we are destroying this planet at an alarming rate...using up our natural resources...killing off species, deforrestation to make paper (doesn't everyone know that we need trees, they eat carbon dioxide and give back oxygen, guess what, we need that oxygen to breath....golbal warming...i can on and on.
so...we need to find another planet to live on and eventually destroy....
anyone fully support SpaceShip II.....quick go read "orbit" by John J. Nance and get back to me...

Actually i think some people are trying to go for the whole 'live in harmony and not destroy the planet' approach.

 

[Bigt2863]

Actually i think some people are trying to go for the whole 'live in harmony and not destroy the planet' approach

of course..me too....and i hope we can do that exploring space and not rely on phasers or phton topedoes...
America in space had to continue...most countries that have a space program rely on the United States for their ride into space,well low earth orbit at least...

 

[Zipi]

so...we need to find another planet to live on and eventually destroy....
anyone fully support SpaceShip II.....quick go read "orbit" by John J. Nance and get back to me...

Seems that you have seen Will Smith's ID4 Independece Day movie... The only difference in your fantasy is that we are the grasshoppers that take all what they can. Which of course can be true if you are thinking about inferior species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(film)

 

[MeteorWayne]

This is not related to a Mission or a Launch so will be moved to Space Business and Technology where it belongs.

Then tomorrow it will be merged into one the the half dozen other threads discussing this same issue.

 

[Bigt2863]

ok, so i think this post will be moved...i dont see a problem with that.
so today is the big day that they anounce the budget...see Spaceref.com...i just hope America can continue to be a driving force in space and not take a back seat ride instaead.

 

[MeteorWayne]

The shuttle is unrelated to today's budget announcements. It was cancelled years ago, at least in planning.

 

[Bigt2863]

true, however i was mentioning that without the shuttles, and now with new budget cuts...the Ares and Orion projects may be scrapped (this was supposed to replace the shuttle fleet) without the completion of a new lifting body and crew craft, we will be forced to rely on other means to ferry humans to IIS. perhaps we need to keep the shuttles flying