Godspeed Atlantis

Great photo from NASA!

Oh man what a beautiful launch! Up and away like a homesick angel!

Yes - great photo! One thing's for sure - today's imaging is MUCH better than the grainy black and white imagery from Apollo 11 and even STS-1.

Sitting here with two monitors - one with a standard feed and the other in HD. And some say we didn't get any return from our space investments.

But...my breath still stops at "go for throttle up..."

AndyH said:

And some say we didn't get any return from our space investments.

Click to expand...

I think the correct thing to say would be that the ROI is low - just like a lot of investment in defence technology we do ;-)

evnow said:

AndyH said:

And some say we didn't get any return from our space investments.

Click to expand...

I think the correct thing to say would be that the ROI is low - just like a lot of investment in defence technology we do ;-)

Click to expand...

What's the saying - they're welcome to their opinions but not their 'facts'? :lol:

Relying on the Russians for our space-transport needs leaves us vulnerable to monopolistic pricing.

Privatizing space travel will lead to profits taking front seat over safety and research.

It's a sad day for our country as we now sit back and watch other countries (or businesses who will not have the USA's best interests at heart) take over space travel. No longer the gold standard and driving force in space technology.....we'll be nothing more than paying passengers complaining about a $25,000 checked-baggage fee.

I agree Jimmy - things feel a bit tenuous at the moment.

A couple of things struck me over the past 24 or so hours. The first, if I recall correctly from a NASA press conference yesterday, is that during Apollo NASA had about 4% of the federal budget while today they have about half of one percent - and the House is apparently trying to cut more. The second is that our ability to work with the Russian space program, as well we ISS partners around the world, appears to be much better than the working environment in Washington D.C. At least folks in the space community understand and trust science...

As an aside, I got the chance to talk with a program manager at Space-X earlier in the year at a NASA-sponsored amateur rocket launch event. I'm excited about industry (not the same as contracting with Delta!) picking up the 'bus charter' to the ISS - especially if it frees up the cash at NASA so they can get back into the exploration business. Go Mars!

edit... Jimmy - give this blog a look-over next break if you care to. The X-Prize contest for space tourism - the Ansari X-Prize - is tied to this lady. After reading how she feels about the planet and space, and being a huge fan of Burt Rutan...well, you'll get the picture, I think.
http://spaceblog.xprize.org/by-anousheh/
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/157366main_ansari.pdf

http://spaceblog.xprize.org/2006/09/21/hello-world/

I was finally able to take a look outside and saw the Earth for the first time… Tears started rolling down my face. I could not catch my breath… Even thinking about it now still brings tears to my eyes. Here it was this beautiful planet turning graciously about itself, under the warm rays of the Sun… so peaceful…so full of life… no signs of war, no signs of borders, no signs of trouble, just pure beauty…

How I wished everyone could experience this feeling in their heart, specially those who are at the head of the governments in the world. may be this experience would give them a new perspective and help bring peace to the world.

Click to expand...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtkZtACxcac[/youtube]
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html

This says it all, I think. crap - more kleenex.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3deA3BXAnHs[/youtube]

AndyH said:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtkZtACxcac[/youtube]
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html

This says it all, I think. crap - more kleenex.

Click to expand...

Why did that strike me as more of a memorial video than a forward looking one?

I fear we're selling future generations short for today's greed and satisfaction.

Jimmydreams said:

Why did that strike me as more of a memorial video than a forward looking one?

I fear we're selling future generations short for today's greed and satisfaction.

Click to expand...

Amen.

Hopefully this makes you feel a bit better.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgnZ89b8Po[/youtube]

Still holding out for a Dr. Gerard K O'Neill style space station. Any day now... :lol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L5_Society
http://www.nss.org/settlement/L5news/L5history.htm

Whoa - talk about a blast from the past... :shock:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrdAUFFMrA[/youtube]

Here we go - this could be useful!
http://www.nss.org/legislative/

Jimmydreams said:

I fear we're selling future generations short for today's greed and satisfaction.

Click to expand...

I see it as the reverse: the previous generation (i.e. those in powerful decision making roles from mid 70's to mid 00's) chose the short term satisfaction paths that left their future (i.e. all of us in the present) holding the short end of the stick. At this stage, it hardly even seems possible (let alone morally responsible) to continue passing the buck anymore -- it's time to pay the piper and all possible options involve facing the agonizing consequences left us. One of which is the scuttling of the American space program -- someday our grandkids may look up into the night sky, and wonder what it might be like to work for the Chinese labs on their Mars colony. The fact that their American ancestors were actually the first to reach out and place those beginning tentative steps on the moon will be a mere ironic footnote in the history books, used as a tricky question on trivia games. Very sad, but we can't look back and say it was undeserved.

You guys are real optimists! :lol:

I enjoyed this bit:

The Dragon spacecraft was developed from a blank sheet to the first demonstration flight in just over four years for about $300 million. Last year, SpaceX became the first private company, in partnership with NASA, to successfully orbit and recover a spacecraft. The spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket that carried it were designed, manufactured and launched by American workers for an American company. The Falcon 9/Dragon system, with the addition of a launch escape system, seats and upgraded life support, can carry seven astronauts to orbit, more than double the capacity of the Russian Soyuz, but at less than a third of the price per seat.

Click to expand...

And this:

As noted last month by a Chinese government official, SpaceX currently has the best launch prices in the world and they don’t believe they can beat them. This is a clear case of American innovation trumping lower overseas labor rates.

Click to expand...

This is a pretty cool bit as well:

The average price of a full-up NASA Dragon cargo mission to the International Space Station is $133 million including inflation, or roughly $115m in today’s dollars, and we have a firm, fixed price contract with NASA for 12 missions. This price includes the costs of the Falcon 9 launch, the Dragon spacecraft, all operations, maintenance and overhead, and all of the work required to integrate with the Space Station. If there are cost overruns, SpaceX will cover the difference. (This concept may be foreign to some traditional government space contractors that seem to believe that cost overruns should be the responsibility of the taxpayer.)

Click to expand...

http://blog.nss.org/?p=2566

I'm thinking you should get your eyes checked if you see any fat ladies singing about the end of US spaceflight. :lol:

AndyH said:

You guys are real optimists! I'm thinking you should get your eyes checked if you see any fat ladies singing about the end of US spaceflight. :lol:

Click to expand...

well, bear in mind those are all quotes from Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, so it's not unexpected that they're spun in favor of space privatization. Nevertheless, I truly wish them all the luck in the world, since they're now the new hope for any american space advancement.

earther said:

AndyH said:

You guys are real optimists! I'm thinking you should get your eyes checked if you see any fat ladies singing about the end of US spaceflight. :lol:

Click to expand...

well, bear in mind those are all quotes from Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, so it's not unexpected that they're spun in favor of space privatization. Nevertheless, I truly wish them all the luck in the world, since they're now the new hope for any american space advancement.

Click to expand...

Ok, maybe this is where my Pollyanna meets your dread.

SpaceX and a couple of other companies are focusing first on picking up the 'bus service' from Earth to the ISS and possibly expanding from there. I haven't yet seen anything that suggests they have aims beyond Earth orbit, though.

NASA only has the cash to do one big thing at a time - so it's Shuttle to low-earth orbit or larger scale exploration but not both. NASA has been doing plenty of other things as well - from Earth exploration satellites to the lunar impact and mapping mission to Galileo to the new LARGE Mars rover/lab to many other things. NASA's not a one-trick pony! And once the Shuttle is retired, they'll be able to redirect to Orion and get us back to exploring. Apparently, they'll also maintain oversight of the civilian flight effort - that should keep profits/safety from turning everything into a "Silent Running" scenario for at least a few years.

We'll see how it goes. At least NASA has multi-year funding in place rather than a continuing resolution, so they can at least plan and develop beyond a 12-month window.

We'll see.

Just the inevitable result of the empire slowly shutting down.

AndyH said:

...
SpaceX and a couple of other companies are focusing first on picking up the 'bus service' from Earth to the ISS and possibly expanding from there. I haven't yet seen anything that suggests they have aims beyond Earth orbit, though.

Click to expand...

Space-X has repeatedly indicated plans to eventually create a manned Mars colony!

I recall hearing that breaking free from Earth's gravity takes way more thrust/power than reaching orbit (to supply the ISS for instance), so I think they need to prove another generation of rockets before they can think about going to the moon or even another planet.

TEG said:

Space-X has repeatedly indicated plans to eventually create a manned Mars colony!

I recall hearing that breaking free from Earth's gravity takes way more thrust/power than reaching orbit (to supply the ISS for instance), so I think they need to prove another generation of rockets before they can think about going to the moon or even another planet.

Click to expand...

It kinda depends. If you do it the RIGHT way, you use your orbital delivery capability to boost the modules, supplies and people into orbit. Assemble your Moon or Mars vehicle in space, then head out from there. If you start from orbit, leaving earth's gravity isn't hard at all.

davewill said:

...If you do it the RIGHT way, you use your orbital delivery capability to boost the modules, supplies and people into orbit. Assemble your Moon or Mars vehicle in space, then head out from there. If you start from orbit, leaving earth's gravity isn't hard at all...

Click to expand...

I haven't heard them talk about a staged plan of that sort. Just that they need more powerful rockets to get out of orbit in one go. Perhaps it is less cost effective to try to have an orbiting assembly base (although you called it "the RIGHT way"...)

It begs the question - will the ISS become more privatized? Would a company like Space-X be permitted to use it as a staging area to collect pieces and assemble vehicles that could travel to other planets?

TEG said:

AndyH said:

...
SpaceX and a couple of other companies are focusing first on picking up the 'bus service' from Earth to the ISS and possibly expanding from there. I haven't yet seen anything that suggests they have aims beyond Earth orbit, though.

Click to expand...

Space-X has repeatedly indicated plans to eventually create a manned Mars colony!

Click to expand...

I sit corrected! :lol: Very cool! I hope NASA can break free from the political roller-coaster in this country, and I hope the private efforts also stay clear of politics. We've got some long-haul ship building to catch-up on!

Thanks!