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Atlantis Blasts Off On Final Mission
shuz writes "Space shuttle Atlantis lifted off today on its STS-132 mission to the International Space Station — the final flight for the venerable vehicle. The mission involves three spacewalks over 12 days (PDF), during which the team will replace six batteries on the port truss which store energy from solar panels on that truss, bolt on a spare space-to-ground Ku-band antenna, and attach a new tool platform to Canada's Dextre robotic arm."
NASA has video of the historic launch and reader janek78 adds this quote from the mission summary: "Atlantis lifted off on its maiden voyage on Oct. 3, 1985, on mission 51-J. Later missions included the launch of the Magellan probe to Venus on STS-30 in May 1989, Galileo interplanetary probe to Jupiter on STS-34 in October 1989, the first shuttle docking to the Mir Space Station on STS-71 in June1995, and the final Hubble servicing mission on STS-125 in May 2009."
Well that means only one liftoff left to go. Sad day.
Return home safely.
Sent from your iPad.
Will someone please explain to me why we can't keep the shuttles running for another few years while we figure out how to replace them? Now that Obama has canceled the Constellation manned booster, and he granted a stay of execution to the Orion capsule (but it's still basically on life support) doesn't this leave the United States with no means to get humans into orbit? For several years? How is this give the United States any kind of strategic advantage?
Granted, the Constellation project was controversial within Nasa, but it's a science and engineering project and as we all know, engineering involves risks, trials, and redesigns. That's the way we got where we are today. Simply canceling it because we don't like spending some $6 billion a year to keep it going is ludicrous, given our willingness to pour literally hundreds of billions of dollars into nebulous goals like "stimulating" the economy or propping up banks that deserve to fail.
Even General Motors got some $18 billion in relief, talking about an organization that deserves to fail. Without GM, we'll still have a domestic car industry--Ford, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are all operating in the U.S. and doing just fine--but without Constellation or the Shuttle, we'll have NO MANNED SPACE PROGRAM AT ALL. This seems like a strategic mistake in the extreme.
To make matters worse, we are planning to rely on our old sometime friends in Russia to get American astronauts into orbit, and we're hoping that private companies will take up the slack and, almost overnight, come out with systems that are certified for human space transport. Given that none of them has done even one manned flight so far, this seems rather premature.
Let's fund the Shuttle program for a few more years and restore Constellation to full funding. So, a few million people won't get free healthcare after all. Honestly, the economic benefits of the space program will more than make up for that. Eventually, tech spinoffs and the overall bigger economy will lift their boats--if they feel like working.
The U.S. can't just cede human space flight to other countries who are eager to take our place up there. We're not quitters; vote this fall and again in 2012 and throw out those who are.
it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
As I refresh /. rhythmbox is playing "The final countdown".
Replace six batteries, bolt on a spare antenna and attach a new tool platform? If only my honey do list for tomorrow was that easy.
when we cannot afford anything on Earth
We can afford most everything on earth. We just simply can't pay billions of dollars that we don't have to failing businesses, ruin health care and do a million other things.
I just hope we can keep the space program close down long enough (along with many other ineffective members of the government) so as to get our country back in the black.
The problem is, how are we going to get ahead in technology then?
If the US government released all taxpayer-funded studies to the public to jump-start private businesses, that is one thing. But in reality everything is so classified that private businesses are starting from 1950s-era technology with very little funding.
The US needs to take a clear stand and do one thing or another.
A) Let a private company buy-out NASA and release all information for free to any US business or individual with an interest in producing spacecraft.
or
B) Continue to spend money developing new spacecraft and using taxpayer money to do great things.
We can't continue to have an under-funded NASA. If Obama wants to waste taxpayer money on bailouts and such thats one thing, however then let the taxpayers have their money spent in research fulfilled, let a private company take over all of NASA and release information to the public. We can't move on with a crippled NASA and a crippled private sector. It just doesn't work.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Yeah, curse old technology. Why haven't we moved on from this 'wheel' shape, by the way? Surely, new = better...
I worked on mission 51J (first Atlantis flight) and now it's done. Man, I am old...
Speaking of that, the Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch this Sunday (May 16th, 2010). This is one of the potential replacements of which you speak.
It's so sad that some people think this way. The space program is not stopping the country from getting into the black. The money required to pay off all the debt and solve the counties problems is orders of magnitude greater than the money required to properly fund the space program to do great things. Complaining that we shouldn't be spending money on a space program is like complaining that some kid playing on the beach shouldn't remove a bucket full of water from the great lakes because global warming has lowered water levels. It is ridiculous.
Poverty will exist so long as mankind is mankind. There will always be good, hard working poor people so long as there is greed. There will be lazy poor people so long as there are people who are neither motivated to better their lives or crafty enough to cheat. There will be disease so long as there is life. There will be natural disasters so long as we live on a planet. To wait for humanity to solve all it's problems before expanding into the universe is to wait for extinction.
"We used to have a way to move things without robots. What was that again? - Ruth Gordon had one....Oh, The Wheel!"
Well, for some reason, there are improvements to that wheel thingy every year - the tire manufacturers keep inventing better tires, suspension gets improved, active dampening, etc, etc. You think we should have stuck with suspensionless carts with roughly circular wooden attachments? Surely, old = better....
Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
Information is classified to help slow down the development of weapons by countries we are not happy with such as Iran and North Korea.
If you can think of a way around that I'm sure someone would like to listen to you about it.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
I know you have an anti-Obama slant, but you forgot to mention paying for a long, pointless war in Iraq.
I thought that I heard that Obama was increasing funding for NASA, just cutting manned space flight for awhile until we figure out how to do it right.
But eventually we have to realize that Iran and North Korea are going to get rockets. We need to diplomatically (or, if it hits a point, forcefully) make sure that they don't aim the rockets at us or any other country. Both Iran and North Korea have made getting WMDs and the launch vehicles needed to use them a top priority. Even though both countries are rather poor economically, they are not above starving their citizens to achieve their goals.
We already use a lot of scattered contractors for NASA, if we can consolidate them into one efficient company in essence, we could do great things. The information is already out there, it is just scattered throughout various offices. If we make a few requirements needed to get the information, we would be running at about the same risk we already are running at. Such as if we make sure that they don't disclose the information under an NDA (corporations are great for this because with competition comes closely guarded secrets, look at Apple, and an iPhone is a lot harder to conceal than large amounts of blueprints and such).
As a nation, we need to face the facts, assuming that Iran, North Korea and all other dictatorships don't get WMDs and launch vehicles is unreasonable. They will get them eventually. What is needed is to prevent unstable rulers from controlling nations. If Kim-Jung-Il wasn't ruling North Korea, there would be very little reason for us to be worried if there was a sane person ruling, but instead we have a cult of personality mixed with lack of reasoning and total isolation.
Would it be worth it to us if we had never started our space program so the Soviets could not gain the information? No, of course not. But we are still shooting ourselves in the foot by looking to countries who are going to get rockets and such no matter what we do.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
The money required to pay off all the debt and solve the counties problems is orders of magnitude greater than the money required to properly fund the space program to do great things
Just so - especially when you consider the trillion dollars going into defence spending every year. Some people may argue that defence spending stimulates economies and provides jobs but it strikes me as absurd that those same people couldn't be equally gainfully employed developing similarly advance technology for peaceful space exploration.
Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
A) is what everybody in the world who wishes you to not "get ahead in technology" (why would you? I mean, why are you treating it, it seems, like a neccessity? If you have what it takes to be ahead, you will be; if you don't have it in our changing world, you won't be; simple as that)
B) will happen anyway, but in a more sensible manner - why duplicate LEO efforts being done right now by few independant private teams?
Also, the thing with bailouts was that you, your nation (and large part of the world, really) were being held ransom. By dynamics you yourself allowed to take place for some time now.
One that hath name thou can not otter
Both Iran and North Korea have made getting WMDs and the launch vehicles needed to use them a top priority. Even though both countries are rather poor economically, they are not above starving their citizens to achieve their goals.
[citation needed], as they say? (sure, I will be the first to give you "starving" part with N.Korea, not really with Iran though; and "top priority" seems pulled out of your ass)
Also, did you just propose there forcing all assets into one legislated monopoly?...
One that hath name thou can not otter
I always hated that show. *ducks*
60's: Country + Government + NASA = Man on the Moon
10': Country vs. Government vs. NASA = Bum a ride with the Russians
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
How many of us are still driving a 25 year old car?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Born July 1985
Still living May 2010
A few months older than Atlantis and still ticking...
Would have been nice to say for every important mission/launch of Atlantis I had a milestone event in my life...oh well.
I thought that I heard that Obama was increasing funding for NASA, just cutting manned space flight for awhile until we figure out how to do it right.
Increasing funding though doesn't mean much when there is so much to do. Myself, I'm not a huge fan of NASA, but unless private spaceflight increases dramatically in the next few years (which it won't until they get more research done which would be redundant to NASA's research).
Too little funding is worse than no funding. It leads to more taxpayer waste and unfinished programs.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
The space program is not stopping the country from getting into the black. The money required to pay off all the debt and solve the counties problems is orders of magnitude greater than the money required to properly fund the space program to do great things. That's exactly the logic my wife uses, "Oh, the money I'm spending on new shoes won't make any difference to the thousands of dollars we owe!" And that's exactly the reason why she has $30,000 is credit card debt!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
If you get a nail in a wooden tire... ...it just holds it together better. If you get a nail in an inflated rubber tire, it's time to buy a new tire. Surely, new = better...
-- Terry
Also, did you just propose there forcing all assets into one legislated monopoly?...
Yes, he did. My apologies, Darkness404, for mistaking you for a right-wingnut in my previous post. I didn't realize your criticism of Obama was in fact coming from the extreme far left. I thought you were complaining about too much government, not that we're far short of the goal of centralized control that you Soviets prefer.
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
Repaid it with other borrowed/bailout money.
You really have to go beyond the headlines and look at the picky details
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/general-motors-commercial-complaint-bailout-ad-filed-ftc/story?id=10554206
http://cei.org/articles/2010/05/09/gm-deliberately-tried-deceive-americans-letter-editor
bah... I used to work for GM, and was in the UAW, and I *quit*. It was disgusting. Management sucks, those clueless investors suck (can't control their management) and the union sucks, buncha arrogant rednecks. For every one good employee with a clue, they have 50 who couldn't find their ass with a GPS and a map. They are the posterboy corporation that got so big they started believing their own BS. They should have been allowed to crash and burn same as those ripoff derivatives spewing casino banks.
It seems to me that one shuttle (even the Enterprise) is enough museum pieces. The shuttles are fully capable of autonomous flight. The horrendous expense of each flight is at least partly a function of maintaining the man-capable condition/reliability of the machine. So, strip out all the life support, all the seats, and the toilet, and use them as trucks at a greatly reduced cost until they blow-up or crash. Added benefit of greatly increased cargo capacity. Also can possibly use a more efficient launch profile as there would be no G force concerns for the passengers (not sure about this - just guessing). And if you ever need to send up people you can mount a life support module in the cargo bay.
Let's not get all teary eyed just now. Atlantis isn't home yet. And Congress may still extend the program (I'm not holding my breath on that one though) -- they have not approved the new plan and budget.
So basically the Bush wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which countries we now have a huge moral obligation to fix things, have cost us trillions of dollars, and continue to cost u, that we haven't really paid for yet, and can't afford to pay for.
I'm pretty sure it was John Candy who said, in 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles', "I've never seen a man helped up by hist testicles before".
Given the kind of "help" we've given them so far, they would probably be better off without our "help" than with it.
-- Terry
What "redundant" research? That was the original point behind NASA/NACA, to direct research; results of which could be later used by others.
One that hath name thou can not otter
This is probably Atlantis' last flight. However:
When she lands later this month, Atlantis won't be mothballed. She'll be put back in the standard post-flight turnaround process to ready her for the Launch On Need (LON) mission STS-335, intended to provide rescue capability if necessary for the last currently scheduled shuttle mission, Endeavor's STS-134. It has been pointed out that, assuming all goes well on STS-134, there will be a bought-and-paid-for STS stack checked out and ready to go... why not use it? STS-335 would become STS-135, and would fly next year with a four-person crew to the ISS, delivering a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and extra supplies and equipment. Russian Soyuz ships would be used if rescue became necessary.
Source.
After 25 years of maintainance and upgrades, what percentage of this Atlantis, was part of the maiden flight in 1985?
So, when Obama proposed to increase NASA's budget, what social injustice is he intending to redress?
FWIW: I believe it's environmentalism...
He's basically retasking NASA with a lot of work for which NOAA is already responsible and already funded to do. That's what the funding is earmarked for, not for projects that NASA, in its role as the national aeronautics and space administration, have which correspond to its intended mission mandate.
-- Terry
black budget, which has no congressional oversight.
Which is what happens when you build a 'platform' and then continually develop it, which is what *should* have been done with Apollo.
To give an example of similar complexity (and whilst I'm not an aviation expert) it's hard to imagine the original 747's released continued to the latest model 747 without any improvements to their systems. When I say 'systems' I don't just mean aircraft systems but ground support 'system', repair procedures fault identification etc.
Now I know that much of the launch vehicle, in Apollo's case, ended up not being re-used when compared to a 747 or the Shuttle but my point is that the ongoing development of the *platform* is what is important. I'm certain that a 2010 model Apollo, had it's development continued, would be every bit as reliable at Soyuz. Now if we accept the design mistakes of the Shuttle and had ground systems that could better mitigate those problems what would a 2010 model Shuttle look like. The answer is, pretty much the same - just more reliable.
This is my frustration, as a keen observer, with the current space proposals. Why isn't choosing Shuttle derived system like Direct a viable option as a platform that has already been invested in? I know that there is a certain degree of politics involved but if that remains the key driver in these decisions then the entire space program will pretty much be over with the retirement of the Shuttle.
I feel this cynicism because if it takes another decade to have a human space program many of the people who have learned the valuable experiences will no longer be involved, this cycle will be repeated and the space program will remain one massive pork barrel.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
The thing is your far left is still to the far right of most other countries in the world, and it's not because we're all 'commies' either.
just sayin...
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
"This comment is very ignorant. As I look at the projected budget deficits for the next few years I'm struck by the fact that the vast majority of this deficit is really the war coming due. "
Even with war costs, the vast majority of the budget still goes for entitlements.... social security, medicare, etc.
About 40 percent goes to SS and Medicare. Another 17 percent goes to "other mandatory spending", including current interest on the debt and other social program. DOD is 23 percent of the budget. GDP spent on defense, despite being in a war, has stayed fairly steady. Military spending is nowhere near the levels seen during Ike, Kennedy, and Johnson's times. Defense took 50 percent of the federal budget in the 1950's.
I'm all for cutting some outrageous defense spending... fiascos like the DDG-100 and Joint Strike Fighter come to mind. But blaming our budget problems all on defense is dishonest and disingenuous. It's the entitlements that keep growing and eating more and more of the budget. You could eliminate the military completely, and in three decades the budget will still start coming up short because of social entitlements.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
How many of us are still driving a 25 year old car?
The Air Force is flying B-52's that are on average about 46 years old. The last BUFF rolled off the line at Boeing in 1962. USAF plans on using them another 30+ years. The last ones will be about 90 years old when they're finally retired.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
In the short term only.
President Dwight Eisenhower warned U.S citizens to quote:
Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.
Until all citizens of the world are, at least, in control of this Iron Triangle we all will never truly be free of the constraints that hold us in the territorial notions and prejudices' that keep us from leaving the Earth and becoming 'Earthlings'.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
On behalf of everyone with a long term view, let me say: fuck you you ignorant fuck. My apologies to those few readers who are still sensitive to the word "fuck", but this fucking idiot is trying to promote an error that will fucking kill my fourth generation offspring, their progeny, and my hopes for the survival of mankind. Forgive me for being emotional about that, but if you can't get emotional about the Death of Man, you're dead inside already.
The rise of science occurred in an interglacial age that's lasted barely 9000 years. Our written history is barely 5,000 years. The vast majority of who and what we are (our culture) happened in the last 300 years. 10,000 years ago we were barely animals. When it ends the decline will be swift and violent, and for the 100,000 years of ice age that follows we'll be barely animals again if we survive at all. That end is due. It cannot be prevented no matter what we do. It's an Earth orbital thing. The survival of any mammals to the end of that 100KY, let alone Men, is quite questionable.
If our culture is to survive we need to establish a self-sufficent offspring of that culture in some place where our thermonuclear cruise missiles cannot reach them. That place is off of the Earth, and we need to do it now . "Someday later" is too late. A colony here on Earth won't do because in the decline there will be quite a lot of violence and there is no corner on the planet that won't be at risk. Even if a culture survived the Troubles, they would not have the resources to get us off this rock and so would slowly decline until they were extinct. 100,000 years is a long time. The end is the same. The end of terrestrial civilization is certain. It's inevitable. It's only the end of all civilization, science and culture, all that we have learned, potentially the end of the human genome, if we choose to allow it to be. If we choose that, if we listen to your ignorant mumblings, we deserve our fate and you have won, you ignorant fuck. Still, there will be no more NASCAR.
Mankind is it seems the first terrestrial species that has to choose extinction rather than having it thrust upon us. We could escape it if we wished. We could get off this rock if we cared. We could backup our genome and all of our knowledge offsite - if we so chose. But we won't. If we choose extinction then our supposed intelligence has no advantage over the peanut-sized brains of dinosaurs. It's another failed path in the Darwinist exploration of Life's potentials - tried this time and forgotten only to be retried a billion years hence when our mass has been restirred with the galaxy and given time to stew.
Now please find a convenient fire and die in it before you infect someone else with your idiocy.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
"Far" left/right is most likely an overstatement, though (or so I would hope...)
One that hath name thou can not otter
Mod parent up (and this down if you must, since I wrote the parent and I'm asking for an upmod there). I forgot to click the selfmods, and I think the parent post is worthy of them and I don't want it to be missed in the /. dross so I'm following up with this feeble plea.
Of course if you think the parent sucks, mod it down and this post too, but first please read this.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
We only live about 75 miles north of Kennedy Space Center, and yesterday was a nice, clear day. We went outside and watched the launch, as we do most of the shuttle launches. It was kind of sad, realizing this was the last time that orbiter would be launching.
No matter where you go... there you are.
Well said.
You are only popular on the Internet.
After 25 years of maintainance and upgrades, what percentage of this Atlantis, was part of the maiden flight in 1985?
In terms of launch weight: ~57%
In terms of landing weight: ~74%
In terms of individual components: ~60%
Not including cargo, crew, food, OMS fuel, or non-orbiter stack components.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
i know exactly what you mean and can relate to this in my own household. However, bills like that come from making that same rationalization many times regarding many little inconsequential things. I'm guessing, as in my own wife's closet there is probably a closet full of shoes and other clothing which rarely gets used! :-)
Buying one or a few items of small cost (relative to debt level) which also happen to be items that come with great payback is just good investment.
We too have credit card debt. We also bought a duplex a couple years back. We rent out the old house as well as the second half of the duplex. Of course we could be just paying one mortgage on a single occupancy house. We could be paying off the cards faster. Some day maybe we will sell one for our daughter's college money. Or maybe we will keep them both after they are paid off, let a management company take over and just receive our cut through our retirement years. If we just put the money toward the debt we would still have debt but no future.
Having a real manned space program brings us new technologies, gives us something to be proud of and inspires the next generation to actually do something with their lives. It's not really the same thing as yet another pair of shoes.