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The Space Shuttle Discovery's Last Mile (Video)
Timothy Lord was in the closest civilian parking lot to where the Space Shuttle Discovery touched down from her last flight -- as a passenger on top of a 747, but it was still a space shuttle flying... a flight that was the sad epitaph for an American era. Timothy's shots of the landing approach are much like all the others you've seen. What's interesting is the variety of people he talked with. One came all the way from Tokyo. And there was the young man who got a Master's in Aeronautical Engineering to work on the space program, which sadly shut down, and who is now looking for a job with SpaceX or one of the other private space-bound companies. We hope there are lots of opportunities in the near future for him, and for thousands if not millions of others who want to go into space or, ground-bound, help our efforts to go where only science fiction writers' imaginations have gone before.
After landing at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, the shuttle will undergo final preparations to go on display Thursday at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum annex near the airport.
Which means we'll see yet another last-mile-discovery-travels-story.
“We pledge to take care of her forever,” said retired Gen. John R. “Jack” Dailey, the museum’s director. The shuttle will show young visitors “what America is capable of.”
Not anymore!
Come On! Stop with the dramatics. The space shuttle wasn't flying; a 747 was. Been there, seen that.
The real issue is that the commericalism of space has commenced and the US has no alternative except the Russians for manned spaceflight. SpaceX will require the help of the ISS's robot arm to properly dock with the station. Virgin Galactic won't be viable for LEO any time soon.
Way to give away our lead in space.
To Copy from One is Plagiarism; To Copy from Many is Research.
Extremists may shout "death to america," but they should realize as I do that with this and a million other things we are witnessing the death OF America. Sad
Silence is a state of mime.
I know the space shuttle was flawed, expensive, probably too dangerous, etc etc. But the lesson here is that it will be replaced by... not much.
The shuttle is the most visible sign of humanity in regression: mankind is slowing down - literally, it is more or less abandoning manned space exploration, science is giving way to obscurantism, governments are slowly tightening their grip on their populations, ...
I remember when I was a kid in the 70s, I used to think I might go into space myself, with any luck, before I'm old. I used to think people would be more and more educated, and we were seeing the last vestiges of religiosity clinging on. Technology and education would be victorious, and mankind was on its way to the stars. Bright days ahead I thought...
The exact opposite is happening today. I think it's the sign of the cost of energy: mankind is regressing as cheap energy is disappearing. The shuttle is just one of the things mankind is giving up on.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Its a tad sad to see Discovery gutted and turned into a (oversized) museum piece. The Space Shuttles were an inspiring symbol of successful manned spaceflight when I was growing up. Lots of little boys around me wanted to be "Astronauts" or "Pilots" when they grew up, and wanted to visit Cape Canaveral some day, because the Space Shuttle launces were a beautiful and exciting spectacle. RIP Discovery. Symbol of science beating the odds. At least museum visitors will get to take up-close pictures of her now.
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
It really is hard to believe it's all over. I grew up as a schoolboy with the Space Shuttle "coming sometime in the next decade", and then watched the first launch avidly in 1981 - I still remember the exact details of that particular afternoon because it was one of those historic "remembered where you were" moments. I also queued for hours on the M11 to get to see the Shuttle on her UK visit (on the 747 carrier) to Stansted in 1983. Another historic moment was the '86 disaster but that seems strangely more remote in time than the first launch, somehow. I don't know where all those years went, but they did - I'm going to turn 50 this year. From a Brit, it's sad to see this era of early space travel come to an end with nothing much on its way to replace it. Truly historic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
http://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedLaunchAlliance
This is the future:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/04/smaller-quicker-secret-space/all/1
And by the way — if you believe the principles and ideals the US and the West stand for have any value whatsoever, then those principles are still worth defending against those who don't share them, and would desire to project their own...
We are not perfect, but before there is a chorus of responses decrying how the US is somehow "oppressing" its people, I genuinely hope those who believe that never see actual oppression...
AC = Mr. Lord
It flew past my office at about 200 meters on its first pass. I am on an upper floor with beautiful views of DC. I really wish we were allowed cameras because I think I had the best vantage point of anyone.
A coworker slipped out on the roof and got some good pics, If I can get the copies Ill post them here.
The chase plane was literally overhead from our position on the pass.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
The way the article puts things you'd think we were all crawling back into caves now.
In fact the opposite is true. We are casting off an albatross around our necks and are at the dawn of a real golden age of space travel - one that does require whole governments bent to the singular task of getting a ship up a few times year.
No, instead we get multiple companies giving us more frequent space travel, for humans and cargo alike.
We humans land on Mars, it will not be a government that sends them there.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Our modern world is very inward-focused. If it's not on the ego, it's on those social problems that never go away. These may be important, but I think space exploration is more important. Humanity does its best when it has a frontier, and some goal to shoot for. That fills us with a sense of hope and power. That in turn pushes us to be better than we were. When we stop exploring the stars and look inward, there's really nothing of interest left, just some intractable problems. The Romans couldn't fix them, the Greeks couldn't fix them, and we can't either. That kind of mentality could make people depressed and stubbornly selfish.
mankind is slowing down - literally, it is more or less abandoning manned space exploration, science is giving way to obscurantism, governments are slowly tightening their grip on their populations, ...
You seem to be confusing the USA with "mankind". Europe and Russia's space programs are still strong, China, India and Brazil are recent newcomers expanding their space programs, science is still strong in the civilized world and people in Europe are no less free than they were before 9/11.
One of the most amazing things that I have seen was a shuttle launch. I was close enough to watch it from lift-off all the way until it wasn't visible in the sky anymore; basically as close as you can get without being invited to sit in the bleachers inside the Space Center. More than anything, I remember the sound and the profound feeling of national pride. I felt a connection to my father, whose face still involuntarily conveys a feeling of wonder and awe when he talks about the moon landing. Experiences like that lead me to become a scientist. I have mixed feelings now, knowing that my son will never have a chance to see it for himself, but that he may some day be able to buy a ticket to go to space himself. Let's hope he can afford business class.
Actually, I wrote my thesis on life experience.
It is ridiculous! Tell that into face of anyone working for SpaceX and they'll be very glad to tell you, I'm sure, how that "no space program" is working for them. Pays the bills all right.
A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
Title: The Space Shuttle Discovery's Last Mile
Description: An amazing variety of people turned out to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery's last landing ever. Slashdot's Timothy Lord talked with some of them.
[00:00] <TITLE>
The SlashdotTV logo bar reading "Thousands of people watched space shuttle Discovery's last flight. Timothy Lord talked with a few of them" over a view of the space shuttle Discovery on the back of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (an extensively modified Boeing 747) as it descends with people whooping and applauding.
[00:16] <TITLE>
Throughout the interview various interviewees appear, some with name indicated in a SlashdotTV logo bar, some without.
Those without will be indicated by descriptive title.
[00:16] Patsy and Robert Davis, brother and Sister>
Robert> We're from Fairfax, Virginia.
Patsy> And where'd you get your shirt?
Robert> I got my shirt [at] Kennedy Space Center years ago when the Discovery took off.
Patsy> And my shirt is.. now; the Discovery arriving here in D.C.
[00:35] Young girl in front of van>
It was really cool.
[00:37] Young boy in front of van>
It was really big.
[00:38] Man interviewing a dog, pictured>
Are you gonna bark at that airplane?
[00:40] Timothy>
Had you seen other launches before?
[00:41] Man with beard and older man in hat in front of a red van>
Man> Never been to a launch.
Man> This is history *laughs*
Older man> I've been to ones at Cape Kennedy, a couple of 'm.
Older man> Saw the space shuttle blow up.
Older man> You know, I was in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the time and, about, I guess about a minute it took off - it was over the horizon for most - took about a minute before we saw it comin' up.
[01:03] Francis and Nathan Dorsey>
Nathan> We're here to see - what I was amazingly enough just explaining to him when you came up - shuttle history.
Nathan> This is, for me, the last time we're gonna see the shuttle fly - so to speak - so I wanted him to be a part of that.
Nathan> I've been a space buff since I was.. before his age, actually.. and I've seen several launches - no landings, unfortunately.
Nathan> I followed the space program since the Mercury days.
[01:32] <TITLE>
The SlashdotTV logo bar appears, reading "All the way from Tokyo, just to see the last space shuttle landing".
[01:32] Timothy>
Could you tell us your name, and how to spell it?
[01:35] Chie>
Chie
[01:38] Timothy>
And where did you come from today?
[01:40] Chie>
From Japan, Tokyo.
[01:43] Man in cap with family>
Best birthday ever!
[01:45] Man in sunglasses>
Well, it flew right over us, had my daughters on my shoulders, and we couldn't really get a picture - but it was pretty cool, I would say!
[01:55] Woman with glasses>
It went right over our heads as we were stuck on the highway in traffic.
[01:58] Young man in sunglasses>
We're from Tucson, Arizona, coming here to see the museum and then we saw it fly right over our heads as we were sitting on the freeway there.
[02:05] Boy in white shirt>
Awesome, but like the true definition of 'awesome', and not the overused version, I guess.
You know, it flew directly over our heads and it's pretty awe-inspiring to see a space shuttle on a 747 flying right above you.
[02:19] Woman with family in a car>
I pulled my kids out of school today, because I believe this is history in the making, and it's science.
When Discovery was supposed to be launched back in January I was going to pull my kids out of school, make a nice road trip to Florida, but it was cancelled because of weather.
then they rescheduled it for February, so I was gonna drive 'm again, but it was cancelled.
Then it went off in March, but I couldn't pull my kids out of school 3 times to road trip to Florida, so this was the next best thing -