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Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off On Final Flight

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the one-more-for-the-road dept.

Velcroman1 writes "Space shuttle Endeavour rocketed into space Monday morning from Kennedy Space Center, led by mission commander Mark Kelly on the final mission for the youngest vehicle in the space fleet. Over 6 million pounds of thrust from the shuttle's rocket booster carried Endeavour into orbit, at speeds of up to 19,000 miles per hour, for an expected meeting with the International Space Station on Wednesday. 'It's incredible how you can see this machine hurled into space like the fastest fastball ever thrown, going to Mach 25 — 25 times the speed of sound — and it's an incredible race to orbit,' former NASA astronaut Tom Jones said. 'It's one of the greatest physical sensations an human can experience,' he added."

7 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. First... by webmistressrachel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let's design an open-source reusable spacecraft which can reach orbit.

    Second...

    Let's implement the space elevator, allowing materials and people to get to orbit cheaply.

    Third...

    Build a spacecraft on an unprecedented scale, in-orbit, using the space elevator. Use that to expand physics research and propulsion systems.

    Fourth...

    Star Trek...

    And you all thought that was gonna say "Post". Haha.

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    This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
    1. Re:First... by amliebsch · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Capitalism is not the enemy of progress. It is what creates the surpluses that make spending on progress possible. Nobody is going to spend money on a space elevator if they are worried about having enough food to make it through the winter.

      --
      If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
  2. Re:Lobster for breakfast as a last meal? by plover · · Score: 4, Interesting

    3 of the astronauts had lobster for breakfast, maybe they thought it may well be their last meal on Earth?

    They're off for a week or two of such gastronomic delights as freeze-dried spaghetti, freeze-dried chicken, and peanut butter in a squeeze tube. I'll forgive them for not wanting to depart on a stomach full of freeze-dried Eggo waffles.

    --
    John
  3. Re:Waste of taxpayer $$$ by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's a drop in the ocean compared to the trillions being spent on wars and CEO bonuses^W^Windustry bailouts.

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    No sig today...
  4. High fiber is the LAST thing you want.... by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 5, Informative

    Fiber is largely indigestible, and comes out the other end in large amounts. That's why it is needed to maintain regularity, afterall. If you are trying to minimize the need for bowel movements, what you want is a "low residue" meal, high on protein, with little to no fiber. The protein gets digested and absorbed, leaving very little to be eliminated.

    The traditional launch day breakfast from Mercury through Apollo was always steak and eggs, specifically chosen for the reasons above.

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  5. Re:Here's how it went where we were by Cytotoxic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My "wow, shuttle launches are amazing" moment happened during a night launch. We were listening to the radio broadcast while watching from the causeway. As they ticked off the milestones and speeds, we watched it transform into a brilliant white star slowly descending over the Atlantic Ocean. It was still well above the horizon and bright in the sky when the NASA announcer told us the shuttle was "now passing over the horn of Africa".

    That was a "wow" moment.

  6. Home Video by Infiniti2000 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Taken by a friend of mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIYVjqAd3Y