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Space Shuttle Endeavor Lands In Los Angeles After Final Flight
Today the space shuttle Endeavor completed its final ferry flight, landing in Los Angeles, California after leaving Edwards Air Force Base earlier today. The shuttle will now undergo preparations for its journey through the streets of L.A. (at a cost of 400+ trees) to its final resting place at the California Science Center. It'll go on public display October 30. Endeavor spent over 296 days in space throughout 25 missions, comprising 4,671 orbits that added up to over 197 million kilometers of travel. Slashdot's own Kaushik Acharya was at the Griffith Observatory in L.A. for the flyover, and he provided some great pictures of Endeavor's passing.
Hull.
Nice low-level flight right over Berkeley.
My kid was in class, heard the sound of the low-level flight, and they all saw it right out of the classroom window.
Gee, the end of an era. We could have had so much more. It's good that we have SpaceX doing something sensible about space flight, and NASA funding enough of that, but I think we learned one sad lesson from the Space Program: You can't trust the American electorate and their political representatives to do what's important for the future of the species.
Bruce Perens.
I was @LAX, and saw the fly-overs and the landing there. Great crowd.
http://youtu.be/qV_nNPX7qUo?hd=1
Put it on the back of a 747.
They seem to be the only ones capable of doing anything anymore. May as well let them do that too.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I've never heard of a Space Shuttle named Endaevor .
Clicked pie.
I just happened to be on US 50 in the Sacramento area when it flew overhead. Traffic slowed to a crawl to get a peek, some people just stopped. Very cool that these things can cause that type of reaction - even as they're being mothballed.
Unfortunately the spectacle caused more than a few fender benders.
No NASA manned flights. We're stuck hitching rides from the Russians. The Chinese will be sure to be kicking our asses in 10-20 years.
it was in low earth orbit NOT space
I love how we didn't get one but shitty California did. Why do they get one and Houston doesn't? Bullshit, my friends.
Twitter was nearly useless, with all the chaff and incomplete information "It's over my house! #spottheshuttle" Where is your house?!? Blah blah blah I'm standing on a roof and NASA coverage, which was replays of the previous day's flight. We finally found a USTREAM from Ames and after watching it pass out of the frame we all scampered outside to wait, as it wouldn't be long. Finally spotted it and I got a few pictures. Probably the most photographed object in the world, today.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I just wanted to say that I am really surprised, but happy, at how much interest the last shuttle flight has caused. I thought this nation had forgotten about space exploration, but apparently I was wrong. It's nice to have a little bit of my faith in the future of this country restored.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I can't believe that they chopped down all those trees just to move it from the airport. It's not like LA has a lot of trees to begin with. Unlike Seattle... except that if the shuttle had been awarded to the Seattle Museum of Flight, they could have just rolled it across a treeless 6 lane road from Boeing field to the Museum's external display area - right next to the Concorde.
You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
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Some pics of the SCA and Endeavor flying over KSC and the rocket garden.
The guy next to me was shooting video, watching it today I forgot how loud it was. It was a great moment.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
I was at Edwards AFB yesterday when it landed. I can get to a couple great spots, so I took some great pictures. Here are some of the highlights.
Well, I guess it is technically correct that this happened after Endeavor's "final flight," but this was not the final flight. Endeavor was cargo. It did not make a flight today.
You can't trust the American electorate and their political representatives to do what's important for the future of the species.
For most of us here on Slashdot, space exploration is cool, exciting, motivating, and instills a sense of pride and adventure in ourselves as humans.
But I get so tired of this idea that space travel is important to the future of our species. Even if the only way we could survive would be through an exodus to other worlds, how does that solve the problems that would lead us to such an exodus? Until we become more enlightened here on Earth and make some progress in the nature of the human heart, we will only bring those problems with us.
What the heck is so important about the survival of our species anyway? Hopefully we'll involve into something more than we are now, but if we die out, that won't be so unusual as far as species go. Do we consider it a tragedy that the dinosaurs evolved into birds? Compared to the vastness, mystery, and awesomeness of the Universe as a whole, we're really insignificant.
I doubt that we're the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, let alone the entire Universe; there are probably many more to fulfill whatever purpose we have, if any, as sentient, self-aware, curious observers and participants in the evolution of the Universe. If they've managed to solve the problem of interstellar travel, they're probably praying that we'll become more civilized before we escape the bounds of our planet.
After taking off from the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at KSC the Shuttle and Shuttle Carrier Aircraft looped around and did a 200 ft flyby down the runway. Pretty neat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOYoiIxZgO4
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
It's named after a British sea ship, so British spelling applies, as reflected on the actual craft.
Anybody want a peanut?
I am inspired by spaceships a LOT more when they are actually flying into space.
I was at LA's Griffith Observatory today for the flyover, and the crowd was not only massive (not only was every Griffith Park parking space filled, but also the nearby Greek Theater's parking lot), but it was very diverse. Young, old, in-between. A broad mix of races and probably economic level as well. Let's not forget, these people, and everyone else who went to a flyover area, were pumped for NASA, and for a symbol of an America that they can be proud of. Yes, certainly there was a novelty factor at play of a Space Shuttle flying around on top of a frickin 747, but regardless it was capturing their attention and imagination.
Looking at these people around me, it really struck me that there's a giant disconnect in how they view NASA in comparison to how Congress and the President(s) view it. People see NASA as a tool for exploration, a window to discovery, and a symbol of America's leadership and greatness in technological innovation. Our government often sees NASA at best as a way to put jobs in local districts, and at worst as an organization they try to starve because they can't get rid of it. Thank the universe that Curiosity landed in one piece, because it shone light on a NASA that was half-buried in the backyard. On the other hand, NASA recently chose to send another geology mission to Mars instead of sending a lander to float in a Titan sea. NASA needs to capture the public's imagination. The Curiosity Twitter account has been inundated by questions from the public on why Curiosity doesn't include a microphone in order to listen to the sounds of Mars; the stock answer is that a microphone doesn't fulfill a science need. Well half of the Apollo missions included activities by their astronauts that had no science goal. The goal was capturing the spirit of wonder. NASA must keep that in mind if it is to stay viable, let alone flourish, in the harsh budgetary environment it finds itself in.
Shuttle program had a few minor flaws to be sure, but it still shows American Exceptionalism.
{For those of you from Berkeley, that means you live in a wonderful nation.}
Also, screw the trees and the stupid liberals who care about that throw-away comment.
What kind of problem do these trees have? Bad attitude? - 'Get outta my shade, MoFo!'
...who realizes that flying a modified 747 in landing configuration carrying a 75 ton payload on its back with wheels up at low altitudes over populated areas is extremely dangerous, totally irresponsible, and completely illegal if anyone other than NASA did it? Thanks for risking hundreds of lives to show off Mr. Biden. Your incompetence is only outweighed by your arrogance. BTW, I love the space program, and I want people to learn about its history, but this really was a questionable stunt that has me worried about the complacency of our leadership.
The entire rationale of a reusable spacecraft was predicated on the assumption that we'd have weekly launches. The initial concept of the program foresaw 50+ launches a year. That was the only way to justify the cost of the massive support organization needed to inspect and refurbish the orbiters after each flight, vs. ordinary single-use rockets. Unfortunately, we never came close to that, averaging 4.5 launches per year. Consequently, the Shuttle became the cadillac of launch vehicles. Its lifetime per-launch cost works out to just over $10,000 per kg of payload, vs. $3000-$5000 per kg for other launch vehicles, with Falcon X approaching $2000/kg.
They are a marvel of engineering, and the iconic face of space travel for over a quarter century. But they were also white elephants which consumed half or more of NASA's budget, harming multiple other missions whose primary goal was science instead of putting people into orbit. Don't blame the politicians for killing the program. Blame them for not funding a replacement as soon as it became obvious we weren't going to get anywhere close to 50 launches/yr. Instead they hemmed and hawed, until the Shuttles were forced into retirement because their components began exceeding their lifetime expectancy certification. And the politicians still haven't decided on a replacement.