# Shuttle launch today



## Stephen (Jul 13, 2005)

Watch it live!

-Stephen


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## Greg (Jul 13, 2005)

Thanks for the link. It's supposed to launch at 3:51 p.m. EDT if the weather holds out for them.


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## dmc (Jul 13, 2005)

Greg said:
			
		

> Thanks for the link. It's supposed to launch at 3:51 p.m. EDT if the weather holds out for them.



Cant wait!!!

Anybody that was around in the 60's remember the launches back then and how exciting they were...?


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## ctenidae (Jul 13, 2005)

The networks are actually going to interrupt regular programming to show the launch. That's cool, but cynical of them. Kind of like the cameras that always record Marine One and Air Force One taking off and landing- just in case.


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## JimG. (Jul 13, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> The networks are actually going to interrupt regular programming to show the launch. That's cool, but cynical of them. Kind of like the cameras that always record Marine One and Air Force One taking off and landing- just in case.



Just in case what? There's a crash or explosion?

Really now C, who's being cynical here?


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## pizza (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm enjoying watching this video feed from NASA.. really interesting. Did anybody catch the animation of the inspection boom?


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## JimG. (Jul 13, 2005)

dmc said:
			
		

> Anybody that was around in the 60's remember the launches back then and how exciting they were...?



I remember watching the Apollo missions and still recall watching the first moonwalk in 1969. I also remember the first orbit of the moon on Christmas in 1968.

Still very exciting for me...I would love to take a ride in the shuttle myself.


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## ChileMass (Jul 13, 2005)

JimG. said:
			
		

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It was cool back in the 60s whenever a launch happened, because basically everything came to a stop and everyone watched.  It wasn't until like the 4th time they went to the moon that people started to get ho-hum about it.


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## ctenidae (Jul 13, 2005)

Oh, I'll admit- I am cynical, but so are the networks. They really do film Air Force One and such just in case it crashes- don't want to be the only network not able to lead with that. 

I'm truly glad they're going to show the launch- it's abotu time space got exciting again (one of the few things I agree with GWB on is a mission to Mars, though I fear that was fluffery on his part). The cynic in me wonders how many people are watching because of the NASCAR Effect. Me, I jus think it's cool- an amazing amount of power and amazingly out-dated technology, and it makes a lot of noise- kind of like an old Cobra, only without the camming.


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## JimG. (Jul 13, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> Oh, I'll admit- I am cynical, but so are the networks. They really do film Air Force One and such just in case it crashes- don't want to be the only network not able to lead with that.



Tsk, tsk, and at such a young age. Guess I can't blame you.

If there is a God and there is an explosion, I can only hope that the wreckage falls right on the media area so they get some nice closeups before they're all incinerated.


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## JimG. (Jul 13, 2005)

ChileMass said:
			
		

> It wasn't until like the 4th time they went to the moon that people started to get ho-hum about it.



People got very blase about it after Apollo 13 which was the most dramatic event for the space program during the Apollo missions. 

That's not to say walking on the moon wasn't dramatic, but it is still the only example of a space flight going horribly wrong and yet all the astronauts were recovered alive.


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## SilentCal (Jul 13, 2005)

I remember getting herded into the school library to watch some of the shuttle's first launches.  I'd like to see us go to the moon again but going to Mars is a long shot.   Anyone know if those two rovers are still functional on Mars?


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## ctenidae (Jul 13, 2005)

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/

They are, indeed- well past warranty on those two. NASA's had some cool stuff lately- Rovers, Deep Impact, and Huygens landing on Titan. Good stuff.


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## dmc (Jul 13, 2005)

JimG. said:
			
		

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I remember being huddle around a small black and white TV at summer camp in 1969 watching the moon landing...  Very vidid memory..


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## SilentCal (Jul 13, 2005)

thank you for the link.  These two rovers are amazing.  Everyone though they would only last a couple weeks and they are still working.  Kinda reminds me of the Voyager 1 and 2.  I read a blip somewhere recently that one them left the solar system.   Maybe someday, some aliens will return our wayward probe home.  (yes I know they did it in Star Trek)


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## ctenidae (Jul 13, 2005)

The Voyagers are almost out- but check out what they're about to hit- I had no idea this was even out there:

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/


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## Greg (Jul 13, 2005)

*SCRUBBED!*

The launch of Discovery has been cancelled for today because of a faulty fuel tank sensor...bummer.


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## ctenidae (Jul 13, 2005)

Gip!


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## Stephen (Jul 13, 2005)

Better a scrub than NASA living up to it's alter-acronymic definition.

-Stephen


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## riverc0il (Jul 13, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> The networks are actually going to interrupt regular programming to show the launch. That's cool, but cynical of them. Kind of like the cameras that always record Marine One and Air Force One taking off and landing- just in case.


wow, that's crazy!  how many shuttle launches have happened over the last dozen years to little or no fan fare.  it's funny how things are routine until the media decides it can make a specticle out of something.  a year latter when launches are regular again, no media coverage.


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## riverc0il (Jul 13, 2005)

> That's not to say walking on the moon wasn't dramatic, but it is still the only example of a space flight going horribly wrong and yet all the astronauts were recovered alive.


challenger went horribly wrong.  i still remember watching the replays on TV when i was in middle school.  i swear they had a TV in every class room with the news on when it happened.  crazy.


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## JimG. (Jul 13, 2005)

riverc0il said:
			
		

> challenger went horribly wrong.  i still remember watching the replays on TV when i was in middle school.  i swear they had a TV in every class room with the news on when it happened.  crazy.



The Challenger disaster really shook me up; part of that was because of the incessant media blitz. The fact that all the astronauts died was very hard to bear.

In a way, Apollo 13 was even more difficult because for days you knew these guys were in trouble and they could have died at any moment. The worst was during re-entry because nobody knew if the heat shield had been damaged and, of course, there was a radio blackout until just before they splashed down. 

I'll never forget sitting in class and hearing that they were OK; everyone stood up and cheered and hollered.


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## Paul (Jul 14, 2005)

JimG. said:
			
		

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I think, for me, the worst part of the Challenger disaster (if you can quantify any of it) was that there was a civilian on board. Watching the reactions of Christa McAuliffe's students, and the other children in her school was completely heart-wrenching. The initial cheering and smiling giving way to shock, horror and disbelief....

And the cameras just kept rolling...


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## ctenidae (Jul 14, 2005)

Amazing, though, how quickly after Challenger the NASA jokes started flying around. Of course, that was the age of Ethiopian jokes, Polack jokes, and the like. Don't see much of that anymore. I guess there is an upside to the PC movement.


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## dmc (Jul 14, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> Amazing, though, how quickly after Challenger the NASA jokes started flying around. Of course, that was the age of Ethiopian jokes, Polack jokes, and the like. Don't see much of that anymore. I guess there is an upside to the PC movement.



I've heard a couple already..


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## bigbog (Jul 16, 2005)

*NASA.......*

The Voyagers, Mars probes, and other unmanned projects are/have been great.  Good stuff *ct*...  They've received realtively scant coverage on TV while the manned, showboat projects live on in the bright lights....and in the funding from Washington.  :roll:


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## hammer (Jul 26, 2005)

STS-114 has lifted off:

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html?skipIntro=1


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## ctenidae (Jul 26, 2005)

Go baby, go!


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## bvibert (Jul 28, 2005)

The shuttle *docked with the space station* this morning!

NASA has grounded shuttle flights again though, due to a big piece of foam falling off of the fuel tank again.  The crew completed a check of the shuttle's tiles yesterday though, so they should be safe to return to Earth when their mission is complete.


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## pizza (Jul 28, 2005)

Paul said:
			
		

> I think, for me, the worst part of the Challenger disaster (if you can quantify any of it) was that there was a civilian on board. Watching the reactions of Christa McAuliffe's students, and the other children in her school was completely heart-wrenching. The initial cheering and smiling giving way to shock, horror and disbelief....



In retrospect, the involvement of kids was the worst part. Kids thought "that could have been my own teacher in that thing."

I was in the 5th grade at the time.


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## Paul (Jul 28, 2005)

pizza said:
			
		

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Yikes!! I was in High School. Our physics teacher (who allegedly worked for NASA  :roll: ) made sure we all watched every gorey detail...

One of those days (along with the Reagan assassination attempt, and the murder of John Lennon)I will NEVER be able to forget.


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## loafer89 (Jul 28, 2005)

I understand the need for safety, but I think that NASA is going a bit overboard with grounding the shuttle. With the extreme forces that the space shuttle is subjected to at launch, I really doubt that they will be able to eliminate the debris risk.

The shuttle and it's tile system seem too fragile and expensive to maintain, perhaps a single use system like the Russians are using is a better interem answer until a replacement for the shuttle is built.

The real problem now, is that critical, key, heavy pieces of the space station can only be brought up by the shuttle, and they are needed to complete the station and keep it viable.

The Russians must be very dissapointed with the news of the groundings. NASA just announced that they are really perplexed with how to solve the debris problem.


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## Cannon Gray (Nov 18, 2020)

I was always wondering if the shuttle program wasn't closed after those disasters and continued to be launched then why it was closed only in 2011 saying that it is to dangerous and so on..


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