Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off On Final Flight

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."

Comments

First...

[webmistressrachel]

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.

Re:First...

[amliebsch]

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.

Re:Lobster for breakfast as a last meal?

[plover]

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.

High fiber is the LAST thing you want....

[Ellis D. Tripp]

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.