Space shuttle discovery rolls to its final landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (photo as captioned at FNC's web site)
Safe and sound. No one talks about it much, but after the Columbia disaster I'm thinkin' we ALL hold our collective breath when the shuttle comes home.
Great pic of a beautugly beast (big huge body, little wingees). I'm glad she's safely back home. I do hope we can somehow manage to keep the manned exploration programs going. And it's not just because I'm an old Science Fiction fan, but because it truly does inspire and bring about some social and cultural cohesion in our______country (you can fill in the blank there, it used to be a melting pot, but ain't any more. Now the "preferred" word is "diverse" which means there's no melting at all). In any case, we need some cohesion now more than ever.
ReplyDeletewv: comshaga, as in comshaga.com, an online London escort service.
I'm way too sad at the demise of this program. I fear our space program is punting to other nations ( that I do not trust.)
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know where at the Smithsonian? Is it going to take the place of the Enterprise at Udvar-Hazy? I really don't think it will fit in Air and Space on the Mall.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the Smithsonian?
ReplyDeleteIt's a mistake to shelve NASAs programmes.
Dan, Moogie and Alison: I agree with all o' you. The thought of us NOT having a manned space vehicle... with nothing in the pipeline... makes me crazy.
ReplyDeleteCurtis: I'm thinkin' Discovery will have to go to Udvar-Hazy. There's no way she'd fit in the Air & Space exhibition hall on the Mall.
Alison: The Smithsonian has British origins. I quote the Wiki:
The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge" from a bequest to the United States by the British scientist James Smithson (1765–1829), who never visited the new nation.
Yet another... and among the earliest... example of the Special Relationship.
I used to get excited about the shuttle, but it just became another military program. Military crews replaced the civilians, and God only knows what they are building up there.
ReplyDeleteNot too worried though, as the military seems to be full of people who can't keep secrets for anything over $500 or their names in lights on some Wiki web page.
That's pretty cynical, Anon.
ReplyDelete