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The Space Shuttle Returns
An anonymous reader writes "NASA's Return to Flight site details the space shuttle's to return to active use. The Flash intensive site features details on the mission, the crew, and the shuttle itself. Additionally, the site features none other than Scott Bakula as Captain Archer on the bridge of the Enterprise (USS, not STS)."
It's looking for revenge. "Earth, you killed my brother... and now it's your turn to die!"
Flash intensive site, a Scott Bakula video, and a front page Slashdot article.
Well, I'm guessing that NASA got that bandwidth sponsorship afterall.
Lets just hope we're not gonna see an article on Slashdot talking about another delay for launch due to limited funds.
I'm a virgo and on Slashdot. Coincidence? Yes.
Turned out it was cheaper to pay NASA to create a real Star Trek than to pay Paramount to produce season 5 of Enterprise.
Until Paramount cancels the program.
Can we do something? Maybe if we all pledge money now, they won't cancel the shuttle after this season.
Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.
It's been a long time
Since the last shuttle flight
There've been some changes
And a hell of a lot of gripes
But I can see the ship on the gantry now;
Nothing's in our way!
And they're not gonna hold at T-minus-10
We won't miss our window today!
'Cause I've got faith in Discovery!
I'm goin' where the SRBs take me!
I've got faith in Atlantis!
If we break down she'll come an' get me!
I've got faith in George Bush!
And on the budget funds he'll send me
I'll go all the way to Mars...!
'Cause I've got faith (I've got faith)
I've got faith in these shuttles of ours!
Cut to Scott Bakula in elaborate Mission Control set:
"Hi! I'm Scott Bakula! You might remember me from such cancelled sci-fi shows as Star Trek: Enterprise and Quantum Leap..."
"Al, why haven't I leaped yet?"
"Ziggy says you can't leap until the site gets one million visitors"
Non-Flash Version Text Only Version
Of course they need the support of the masses, they foot the bill!
More than anything else Nasa needs the public to be excited by space like they were in the 60's. If it takes Scott Bakula to do that, then so be it. Obviously I'd prefer the public to fall in love with the actual astronauts again, but that's not going to work when they're this deep into a rut. If they can build some excitement with b-list celebrities and--more importantly--high-profile missions, then they can use astronauts to publicize themselves.
> A postage stamp sized video that takes 100% of a 3ghz machine to play.
> Well done NASA, you guys rock.
Yeah, c'mon NASA, it's exactly rocket science you kn...
OK. We may be in trouble.
L.
I'm no expert on space travel, so I'm sure someone more informed than I can fix the numbers, but a little research has told me that there have been between 2 and 9 shuttle missions a year between 1981 and now, with a 2 year hiatus after Challenger. Assume, the average is 4 per year, for 22 years, that means that there have been 88 shuttle flights. I'm fairly young, so I don't remember most of the space program, but I can only think of two Shuttle disasters, Challenger and Columbia. That gives the shuttle a success rate of 97.7%. That doesn't sound all that dangerous to me...
Of course, each failure is by definition fatal and expensive, but I wouldn't call the space program a failure or overly dangerous.
The Saturn I, IB, and V boosters all had a 100 percent success rate during launch. There have really only been 4 major disasters in the nearly 50 year history of spaceflight, and only three of them fatal (Apollo 1, and the two shuttles. Apollo 13 being the 4th, and nonfatal disaster)
They can mitigate the risks involved but never even come close to eliminating them all.
That statment applies to LIFE. The same can be said of cars, airplanes, boats... horses... Life is risky. Period. the question is, do the benifits outweigh the risks. I'd say yes, but I'm sure there are those that disagree.