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Shuttle Atlantis Finally In Orbit

Klaidas writes "After delays, the shuttle Atlantis has finally been launched today as expected. NASA reports: 'The shuttle Atlantis is in orbit, headed for a challenging new phase in the construction of the International Space Station. Commander Brent Jett and his five crewmates will install a new 17-ton segment of the station's truss backbone, adding a new set of giant solar panels and batteries to the complex. Three spacewalks are planned.'"

3 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. Penguins! by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 5, Funny
    The nickname for Atlantis is the Penguin - "What's black and white and never flies"...

    Look it up!

    ...ducks...

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    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  2. Delays... of the Slashdot kind... by strredwolf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It really says something when the "It's scheduled to go up" post appears when it's launching, and the "It's in orbit" post is 12 hours late, after all the comments in the former post say "It's in orbit already. Had your coffee yet?"

    I was watching MSNBC's shuttle coverage with 2 minutes left on the clock until launch when Cowboy Neal's "scheduled" post hit the front page. As Richard Hammond of BBC's Top Gear would say, "Oh no this is bad..."

    May I propose a "This is going to happen within X hours/in the future" option for the submit on logged-in users, sorta like what Pud does for F*ed Company? That way they can get more priority, those who abuse it get banned from using it, and makes things work better.

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    # Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
    $Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
  3. Reverse space race? by Will_Malverson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1960's: We sent people to the moon
    1970's: We put a space station into low earth orbit
    1980's: We had frequent flights to LEO with a reusable craft.
    1990's: We had occasional flights to LEO with a reusable craft.
    2000's: We managed to get people into orbit with a craft that might get used two more times before the end of its life.