The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed early this morning, closing the curtain on the Space Shuttle era. The thirty-year experiment with a reusable space vehicle (takes off like a rocket, lands like a plane) has come to an end. It was expected to save money by being reusable, but it didn’t quite work out that way. Now engineers agree that it’s more cost-effective — and safer — to use the more traditional rocket launch vehicles with the command module perched on top.
I still remember the first shuttle — Columbia — taking off in 1981 and, more impressively, landing safely at the end of the mission. It was an amazing feat. And out of 135 flights, two ended in disaster, reminding us all that space flight is still dangerous.
I’m not particularly sad to see the end of the shuttle era because I’d like to see more manned exploration of space outside of low-earth orbit. NASA wants to move in that direction, too. I hope to see the day man steps foot on Mars, and returns safely to earth. Americans have always been explorers at heart, and there’s a great big universe out there.
In America we used to think big, and do big things to prove we could do them. Now we can only wonder about cost and what foreign country will bank roll our debts for entitlement spending.
I’m sure I’ll get slammed for this but I’ve never understood the purpose for this whole Shuttle program. A ton of money was spent on getting up there but for what reason? Just to get up there? Some awesome photos?
Yeah, mazr, you should be slammed. This technology bubble that the US has ridden for the past 50 years and that put America on top of the world technologically, financially and militarily was mostly the fallout of the space program. It is what has given most the people on this planet the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms that no other epoch in the history of mankind has had. Without it we would still be locked in a conventional military standoff with the Soviets, waiting for the Chinese to overwhelm the world with their million men armies. You may be too young to understand, but the world really was more dangerous. And there were far fewer people enjoying freedoms in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
Murrel, the space program did lead us to invest in Math and Science education, but it has not been the reason we continue to invest in those subjects. Computers and technology is the new space program as sad as that is for older people who wanted to be astronauts when they were kids.
Couple of minor corrections, Murrel.
First of all, the fall of the Soviet Union was inevitable, as predicted by the OSS/CIA as early as the 1940’s. Their internal economy was doomed from the start, and particularly so after the rise of Stalin and his infamous “5 year” plans. Afterward, the development of a military that cost nearly 60% of their Gross Annual Budget wound them into a slow but steady spiral that finally bottomed out when Ronald Reagan announced the development of SDI (popularly known as “Star Wars”). The fall of the Soviet Union was an internal fall.
The technology for the development of the Space Program is actually the offshoot of World War II, primarily the technology developed to keep bomber crews aloft for extended periods of time. This was further developed for the Strategic Air Command. The post WWII era saw the use of that founding technology in high altitude aircraft such as the SR71 Blackbird, one of the first aircraft which required the use of Pressure Suits with individual comfort units and oxygen masks. Additional technologies developed by other scientists (SCUBA, Oxygen Re-Breathing Units, Bi-metallic Heating and Air Conditioning Units, etc.) were all instrumental in developing the Space Program.
Notwithstanding, I agree that Mazr should be spanked, not slammed, because the development of the shuttle brought about the next leap in technology, particularly in the development of better and faster computers and more intricate and capable software. The shuttle, now a part of history, was a major leap in technology, and I believe the precursor of future multiple use spacecraft.
thanks for the info Frederick. that’s the kind of things I wasn’t aware of.
Frederick – Agreed. I started with the Space program, not because it was first, but because it was the point of the blog and the value since then. All knowledge stands on the shoulders of the giants and technologies that went before. The space program sprang from earlier efforts that produced the SR71. And many other useful technologies, in turn, received their origins with the space program. It’s a shame that we currently have no new space program to further space explorations. We’ll never know what new knowledge and products would come from that.
truth – Yes, computers are our current technologies, whether they are in the form of servers, desktops, laptops or smart phones. But computers are just one offshoot. Knowledge always creates new technologies and new products. Computers are a technology that I know well, but there is more than that alone that a good national space program could further in development.
mazr – Sorry, I agree that slam was definitely too harsh a word – I jumped on your word and should have used one of my own. My own fear is that we as a nation let the current economic problems dissuade us from continuing the technological advances where our true leadership resides. A rising tide raises all ships. Commercial technologies alone will not maintain our leadership in science without research and development that our current administration seems intent on eliminating. let’s think long term (hard for politicians to do, which is one of the reasons why the space program was so impressive).
The space program is responsible for the modern aerospace, communication, medical and science technologies, etc. we take for granted. Without it, we wouldn’t have overwhelmed the USSR in the arms race.
Frederick, if the USSR’s downfall was predicted in the 1940s, then why did it last until 1991? And why would a nation that was predicted to fall subsequently become the first to put a satellite into Earth orbit, conduct the first manned spaceflight and deploy the first space station?
The Soviet economy expanded annually from 1928 until 1973 when it began to stagnate. But as the world’s biggest source for oil and gas, the “Evil Empire” enjoyed much windfall from the Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 and later, the embargo following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
The Soviet Union collapsed due to various external as well as internal pressures. The election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency marked a huge change in American foreign policy. Reagan had no desire to co-exist with the Soviets, but rather he wanted to defeat them.
The most important of Reagan’s policies which helped bring about the USSR’s downfall was the arms buildup, which America could afford, but the USSR could not. Coupled with Reagan officials’ convincing Saudi Arabia to significantly increase oil production, thus causing a collapse in prices, the USSR was bereft of hard currency to prop up its economy and thus backed into a corner.
Mikhail Gorbachev tried to liberalize the USSR, but the damage had been done and there was nothing he could do to prevent the collapse. In fact, he can be credited along with Reagan for his country’s collapse solely for speeding along the process(another Soviet leader could have stubbornly resisted change, but Gorbachev did not).
Wasn’t the X-15 the first aircraft requiring a pressurize suit followed by the U2 spy plane. Both came way before the XR71.
Jordan: Everyone knows why the Soviet Union bottomed out when it did. So Reagan could get all the credit. I’m surprised the USSR held out that long. As someone who probably has a bust of Reagan in the bathroom, you should know that.
end/sarcasm
I have a suspicion that, if the dire need arose, there’d be a shuttle on the launch pad faster than you can say “Jane get me off this crazy thing”
Vonster: Doubt that. NASA has given all the shuttles away to museums. Peoria didn’t rate. LMAO
All the shuttles YOU knew about….
I hear we may be getting an IMAX.
Too bad Pekin couldn’t warrant a Shuttle, or maybe a half-size mock-up of one, since Pekin native Scott Altman commanded or piloted a few shuttle missions.