Space Shuttle Retirement

[Adam]

The Endeavor flying over Los Angeles today, my video:

http://www.youtube.c...eature=youtu.be

Edited September 21, 2012 by Adam

[BeBop]

I saw the Enterprise being wheeled into the hanger at JFK a few months ago. Pretty cool. (I don't do YouTube, but I'm sure your video is pretty cool too.)

[RDK]

There were a hundred or so of us on the roof at work, where it looped around Universal, giving us a great view, but my wife reports that it flew directly over our house, startling her enough to drop her camera. The kids were pulled out of their classrooms to watch it fly overhead at their school as well. Really neat to see much of the city come to a standstill so that everyone could see this, making it a wonderfully communal experience.

[Soulstation1]

The SS flew over Tucson yesterday

Edited September 21, 2012 by Soulstation1

[BFrank]

Saw it today near the Bay Bridge with several thousand of my closest friends.

[alocispepraluger102]

sadly, we have reached the time where manned exploration is unnecessary.

[Chuck Nessa]

Nah.

[AfricaBrass]

My late grandpa, in the last part of his career, worked on the first two space shuttles. I remember, when staying with my grandparents as a boy, seeing the Enterprise being driven through the town he lived in. It was so cool!

It's very bittersweet for me to see the shuttle program end. It's the end of an era. It's hard to believe that 43 years after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, we have no manned space program.

[Aggie87]

  On 9/21/2012 at 11:51 PM, alocispepraluger102 said:

sadly, we have reached the time where manned exploration is unnecessary.

Disagree.

Endeavor flew over Houston on Wednesday, my brother in law took this photo from his office downtown:

...and it flew over the Capitol Bldg in Austin yesterday as well:

[Adam]

A national tour is good.

I remember going as a boy to the original unveiling (or one of them) of the first test Space Shuttle Enterprise at Edwards Air Force Base, I think in the late 1970s. Full circle. But the shuttles had more flights in them.

[BFrank]

I don't know how sad it is. There have been a number of spectacular robotic missions over the last decade or two. Not the least of which have been trips to Saturn, various Mars rovers, and the Hubble.

  On 9/22/2012 at 12:30 AM, Aggie87 said:

...and it flew over the Capitol Bldg in Austin yesterday as well:

Nice! Right over Congress St!

[RDK]

The robotic missions are practical, necessary, and relatively cheap, but they lack the emotional and spiritual gravitas of a human mission. It's as if Hillary operated a drone to the top of Everest.

[David Ayers]

  On 9/21/2012 at 11:51 PM, alocispepraluger102 said:

sadly, we have reached the time where manned exploration is unnecessary.

And yet - there are so many people who could be launched into space to the immeasurable benefit of the rest of us...

[BFrank]

  On 9/22/2012 at 5:35 AM, RDK said:

The robotic missions are practical, necessary, and relatively cheap, but they lack the emotional and spiritual gravitas of a human mission. It's as if Hillary operated a drone to the top of Everest.

I don't know your age, but I remember a distinct lack of emotional and spiritual gravitas to moon landings after the first 2-3. I think the biggest news was when Alan Shepard launched a golf ball in one of the later missions [yawn].

Hard to get too sentimental over the Shuttles, actually. 'Cargo ships' typically don't leave a lot of romantic memories.

Having said all that, I did enjoy today's flyover.

[Shawn]

One of my acquaintances took this photo in Los Angeles, quite striking I thought.

[Jazzmoose]

  On 9/22/2012 at 7:16 AM, BFrank said:

I don't know your age, but I remember a distinct lack of emotional and spiritual gravitas to moon landings after the first 2-3. I think the biggest news was when Alan Shepard launched a golf ball in one of the later missions [yawn].

Yeah, I was a space nut growing up, and my memories are mainly of frustration when people just quit caring.