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Discovery Heads Into Retirement
dweezil-n0xad writes "Technicians in bay No. 2 of Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility remove shuttle Discovery's forward reaction control system (FRCS) on March 22 as part of the ship's transition and retirement processing. The FRCS will be completely cleaned of all toxic fuel and oxidizer chemicals, which are used for the steering jet system while a shuttle is in orbit. NASA says the FRCS will then be put back into Discovery to help prepare the shuttle for future public display." These photos are pretty cool.
Only if you consider the US dismantling what little remains of its manned space program cool.
We went down the wrong path with the shuttles. I think their main purpose was a plot to make the Soviets copy them breaking their economy. If we would have kept making Saturn V's ( 10 times the lift capacity of the shuttle ) we would be walking on Mars TODAY.
But no, 30 years of waste, tiny lift capacity, and far more expense than single use rockets.
The best use of the Shuttles in my opinion it to let people look at them in museums.
The program can't end soon enough for me.
* Carthago Delenda Est *
It is just as likely that the Democrats will cut the space budget for the new vehicle.
More likely, in fact, since they've done that already.
Try not to let your political prejudices affect everything in your life.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"