Where are the flying cars? I was promised flying cars!

[dolari]

So, Bush is considering announcing a moon mission or two.....and retiring the shuttle fleet?

No.

USE THE SHUTTLE TO BUILD A SPACE STATION THAT MATTERS. LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.

From there, you can start work on using it as a way station on the way to the moon. which can then be used as a launching point for Mars.

LIKE NASA PLANNED IN THE EARLY 70s.

Before Nixon slashed the budget, and made a Shuttle that didn't do it's job until we decided to finally build ISS in th early 90s. If NASA had had it's way we'd have gone to Mars by now. Granted there was a war going on back then, but we never revisited space after the war was over!

Not like it really matters. It's just a happy happy joy joy statement he can say to get reelected and ignore once he's back in.

Sorry about the rant, but space exploration is something really close to my heart.

Comments

Re: Retire the Shuttle

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not saying we DON'T need a new Orbiter. We DO. We just dont' need to sit on our hands while we still have a usable Orbiter to use with a reenergized Space Program. By the time we get a usable space station, our second generation shuttles should be ready.

I'm one of those who watched every shuttle launch when I could. I'm just sad that the whole "whole morning broadcast" of a launch has boiled down to "Oh, this just in, ten seconds to Launch - Launch - Wasn't that great? Back to Days of our lives."

Sadly, I didn't earn about NASA TV till AFTER the Columbia broke up.

Re: Retire the Shuttle

[ascian.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of Callahan's Key, when the real space fans at Canaveral are still staring at the sky and listening to the com chatter on the loudspeaker when everyone else is piling into their cars and heading home.

"Where are you going? They aren't even in orbit yet!"

I agree completely regarding shuttles, moon, and Bush. Maybe, for the next launch, he could be convinced to pose for a photo op under the rocket...