. Burtakus: And South America has done what in space? ************* June 29, 2006 SouthAmerica: Brazilâs space program is on its infancy. The US space program it seems to me is on its deathbed. The only interesting thing about the US space program is the tension that it causes to American television viewers on lift off and on the Shuttleâs re-entry. â Is the Shuttle going to explode on the way up or in the way down? The US should stop referring to them as US astronauts â in this case a more accurate way to describe them would be: the new American Kamikazes are going to take a pin in the Shuttle â good luck. I wonder if the American Kamikazes talk to a priest before a Shuttle lift off â the probability is very high that the old thing might blow up on the way up or in the way down. .
It is amazaing how wrong your are. Your bias against the US is really clouding your vision. Like I said, Brazil has done what in space?
. June 30, 2006 SouthAmerica: Why they donât just junk the old thing? Today, what is left of the US Shuttle fleet represents nothing more than a pile of old junk â and they should spare the US astronauts the excitement of take off and re-entry. The question is: Is the old thing going to blow up on its way up or on its way down? I guess the US astronauts might have to walk back home from space. ******************** âNASA Has Plan to Land Shuttle if Crew Has Had to Leave Shipâ By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: June 30, 2006 The New York Times CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 29 â NASA officials revealed a new plan on Thursday that might allow a last-ditch effort to save a damaged space shuttle by guiding it back to Earth without astronauts aboard. The system, which could be used if astronauts were forced to abandon the shuttle and take refuge in the International Space Station, makes use of a 28-foot-long braided cable, weighing about five pounds, that can be attached to various control boxes on the shuttle. It would allow flight controllers on the ground to activate systems that previously had to be switched on by members of the shuttle crew, including power units, landing gear and drag chutes. John Shannon, the deputy manager of the space shuttle program, described the automatic landing system at a news briefing in preparation for the launching of the shuttle Discovery as early as Saturday. The flight will be only the second since the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven astronauts in 2003, after a piece of falling foam put a hole in the left wing during ascent. NASA spent two years redesigning the external fuel tank and developed potential repair methods. But in the flight of the shuttle Discovery last year, several pieces of foam fell from the tank. The newly announced cable system could offer an alternative to ditching a craft worth at least $2 billion. If the craft had a chance of successful re-entry but officials felt that the risk to crew might be unacceptably high, the cable could be tried. The landing would be tried at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California so the approach to Earth would occur over water. The plan was developed over the past year, said Kyle Herring, a NASA spokesman. In the past NASA officials have argued that it would be impossible to land the shuttle without astronauts. Before the cable was developed, Mr. Herring said, the ability to feed landing instructions to the computers was there, but "the ability to land safely was not." .
. July 1, 2006 SouthAmerica: I donât understand why NASA still trying to use these old fleet of ancient US Shuttles and taking so much risk with the lives of these American astronauts? It is more than time to retire these old things and send them to museums around the country - and build a new fleet of state-of-the-art Shuttles with the latest technologies. These old things are basically, technology from the time when Richard Nixon was in office â when the Shuttle program was approved in 1972. Very few people drive cars that are over 30 years old and never mind going into space inside this pile of old junk. These US Shuttles were state-of-the-art in technology around 1978 â In 2006 they represent just a pile of old junk. If another Shuttle blows up in the way up or on re-entry â that could be considered negligence and a criminal act by the people who approved that this old thing could be lifted off with human beings inside it. ********************* âNASA postpones launch of Discovery due to bad weatherâ China View â July 1, 2006 WASHINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- NASA on Saturday postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery by 24 hours due to thunderstorm clouds over the launch pad, delaying the shuttle's second mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. "We have scrubbed our launch attempt for today," said NASA launch spokesman Bruce Buckingham at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The weather was changing continuously in Cape Canaveral, with thunderstorm clouds moving in and out of the launch zone throughout the morning and early afternoon. "We're not going to make it today," NASA launch director Mike Leinbach said. "It's not a good day to launch the shuttle. So we're going to try again tomorrow." Hoping for better weather in 24 hours, a new launch has been planned at 2:26 p.m. (1926 GMT) Sunday afternoon, said NASA officials. But according to the forecast, the weather for Sunday is no better, with a 60 percent chance that storms could force a delay of that launch too. The 12-day mission, which will bring critical supplies and equipment to the space station, is considered pivotal for the future of the space program as it will determine whether NASA has improved shuttle safety three years after the Columbia disaster. .
. July 4, 2006 SouthAmerica: Today the US space program has been reduced to this: It is considered a great achievement when an US Shuttle is able to liftoff without blowing up on its way up. The suspense now will be if the Shuttle will be able to return to earth in one piece. If they can accomplish that the mission will be considered a great success. ******************* Liftoff: Discovery soars on July 4th By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer AP - Associated Press - July 4, 2006 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA gave the shuttle Discovery a majestic Fourth of July send-off and said early signs showed the spacecraft to be in good shape, despite once again being struck by the flying foam that has plagued the program. The first-ever Independence Day manned launch came after two weather delays and over objections from those within NASA who argued for more fuel-tank repairs. Shuttle managers said early video images of liftoff showing small pieces of foam breaking away â and one even striking the spacecraft â were not troubling. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said of the launch: "They don't get much better than this." It was Griffin who chose to go ahead with the mission over concerns from the space agency's safety officer and chief engineer about foam problems that have dogged the agency since Columbia was doomed by a flyaway chunk of insulation 3 1/2 years ago. Discovery thundered away from its seaside pad at 2:38 p.m EDT. About three minutes later, as many as five pieces of debris were seen flying off the tank, and another piece of foam popped off a bit later, Mission Control told the crew. The latter piece seemed to strike the belly of Discovery, but NASA assured the seven astronauts it was no concern because of the timing. Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said Discovery was so high when the pieces came off that there wasn't enough air to accelerate the foam into the shuttle and cause damage. "That is the very raw, preliminary data," he said. "It will be a while before we get a complete picture of what happened during the ascent." The astronauts reported seeing what they described as a large piece of cloth tumbling away from Discovery soon after reaching orbit. It looked like one of the thermal blankets that protects the shuttle, they said, but Mission Control later told them it may have been ice and that a similar observation was made during Discovery's flight a year ago. "Wow, that's real good news," said shuttle commander Steven Lindsey. Hale and others on the launch management team were in a jubilant mood over the smooth liftoff. "No, we did not plan to launch on the Fourth of July, but it sure did work out to be great to launch on Independence Day," said Hale, who was wearing a patriotic tie. Lindsey, an Air Force fighter pilot, was at Discovery's controls and aiming for a Thursday linkup with the international space station. "Discovery's ready, the weather's beautiful, America is ready to return the space shuttle to flight. So good luck and Godspeed, Discovery," launch director Mike Leinbach said just before liftoff. "I can't think of a better place to be here on the Fourth of July," radioed Lindsey. "For all the folks on the Florida east coast, we hope to very soon get you an up-close and personal look at the rocket's red glare." It was unclear for a while Monday whether Discovery would fly at all. A slice of foam, not much bigger than a crust of bread, fell off an expansion joint on the external fuel tank as the spacecraft sat on the launch pad. Shuttle managers concluded Monday night after intensive engineering analysis that the remaining foam on that part of the tank was solid. Engineers said the piece â 3 inches long and just one-tenth of an ounce â was too small to pose a threat even if it had come off during launch and smacked the shuttle. Inspectors devised a long pole with a camera to inspect the joint and found no evidence of further damage. NASA also made sure there was no excessive ice buildup at that spot Tuesday. The fallen foam, albeit harmless, added to the tension already surrounding this mission. NASA's chief engineer and top-ranking safety official objected two weeks ago to the 12-day mission without eliminating lingering dangers from foam loss, considered probable and potentially catastrophic. They were overruled by shuttle managers and, ultimately, Griffin. He stressed the need to get on with building the half-done, long-overdue space station before the shuttles are retired in 2010 to make way for a moonship, per President Bush's orders. Griffin said he welcomed the debate over Discovery's launch and acknowledged that the space agency plays the odds with every shuttle liftoff. "If foam hits the orbiter and doesn't damage it, I'm going to say ho-hum because I know we're going to release foam. The goal is to make sure that the foam is of a small enough size that I know we're not going to hurt anything," Griffin said in a weekend interview with The Associated Press. "It's hardly the only thing that poses a risk to a space shuttle mission," he said. If photos during launch or the flight show serious damage to Discovery, the crew could move into the space station. Then a risky shuttle rescue â fraught with its own problems â would have to be mounted. The rescue ship, Atlantis, would face the same potential foam threat at launch. NASA also worked on a possible plan for flying Discovery back to Earth unmanned if necessary. Many have speculated that if anything happens to Discovery or its crew, the shuttle program could end with this mission, and plans for moon and Mars exploration could be put in jeopardy. In its flight last July, Discovery experienced dangerous foam loss, though the chunk was smaller than one that slammed into Columbia's left wing, and it missed Discovery altogether. Just like a year ago, more than 100 cameras and radar were trained on Discovery at liftoff to spot any foam shedding. The intensive picture-taking continued with on-board cameras and the astronauts snapping zoom-in shots upon reaching orbit. NASA figures it will be nearly a week before it can decisively say whether any debris hit Discovery during launch. Last July, cameras caught a 1-pound chunk two minutes after liftoff, despite extensive repairs that came after the Columbia disaster killed seven astronauts in 2003. The big piece of foam came off an area untouched in the wake of the tragedy. Smaller pieces popped off other parts of the 154-foot tank. Over the past year, NASA has removed foam from the location of last year's largest foam loss, saying it represented the biggest aerodynamic change to the shuttle in 25 years of flight. Engineers deemed the foam there unnecessary. Shuttle managers put off repairs to another potentially dangerous area of the tank, foam wedges to insulate the metal brackets that hold pressurized lines in place. The foam prevents ice and frost from forming on the brackets once the tank is filled with super-cold fuel. Managers said they wanted to make one major change at a time. The space agency's chief engineer disagreed as did the chief safety officer, saying they would rather take the extra six months to fix the problem before launching. Griffin contends NASA doesn't have time to spare with the shuttles set to be phased out in 2010. One of the seven crew on Discovery is a German, Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency, who will move into the space station for a half-year stay, joining the American and Russian there already. Reiter will bring the size of the station crew to three for the first time since 2003. Besides commander Lindsey and Reiter, Discovery is carrying pilot Mark Kelly; Michael Fossum and Piers Sellers, who will conduct at least two spacewalks at the station; and Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson. Beginning Wednesday, they will survey use a 50-foot inspection boom to view the shuttle for damage. They also will make repairs to the space station and deliver much-needed supplies. .
And the award for the most ridiculous post from a South American Peckerhead goes to .... YOU GUESSED IT! Let's see NASA has just recently LANDED a satallite on an ateroid millions of miles away. Manueverd another satallite into the tail of a comment... etc, etc, etc ... http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html I think this guy might have a lock on all the SouthAmerican Peckerhead awards for the foreseeable future.
Isn't it amazing how transparent all of this is? People have the weirdest reactions to feelings of jealousy, and one of the most common is to denigrate the very thing that one is jealous about. The statement that the U.S. space program is on its deathbed is maybe the stupidest thing I have seen written on these boards, besides all the racist stuff. The U.S. clearly has the biggest store of knowledge and expertise in terms of space travel. What do you think those engineers could do if they had enough money to do whatever they wanted? NASA's biggest problems today are administrative. There is no doubt about that - unfortunately, they are like any other big bureaucracy. The brilliance of the men and women who make and fly these machines is frightening, bureaucracy aside. I would ask the OP what she would do if someone asked her to launch a probe and land it on a celestial body 8 billion miles away. I got butterflies in my stomach today at T Minus 4 seconds when the countdown guy said 'Go at Main Engine Start' and you see those massive exhaust ports (or whatever they're called) shift as the hellacious power of the main engines starts to flow. The height of human achievement? One of the peaks, for sure. Why do they do it? To see if they can do it. Get it? I mean, come one....GO AT MAIN ENGINE START!! I felt a surge of pride and I'm not even an American. This is the very best of America. While these men and women are doing, we have pipsqueaks on message boards, squeaking.
. Tradernik: People have the weirdest reactions to feelings of jealousy, and one of the most common is to denigrate the very thing that one is jealous about The statement that the U.S. space program is on its deathbed is maybe the stupidest thing I have seen written on these boards, besides all the racist stuff. **************** July 4, 2006 SouthAmerica: Jealousy of what? That the US space program is stuck in 1980? The current US Shuttle was a great achievement in space technology in 1980. The current Discovery liftoff is liftoff number 116 of these old machines â liftoff number 116 was supposed to happen in 1980 according to NASAâs original plans. NASA is only 25 years behind schedule on its Shuttle program (nothing to write home about) â they still trying to figure out after over 30 years of flying these Shuttles how to keep the Shuttle in one piece and how to achieve a liftoff and a re-entry without them blowing up. All these Shuttles passed their estimated useful life about 15 years ago and were supposed to be retired by 1990. You canât live of the glories of time long past and at the same time trying to imply that it is a great current achievement in the space race. The Shuttle was a big hit in the late 1970âs - And these guys also were a big hit in the 1970âs: The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Cream, Creedence Clearwater, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and many others. The music of the 1970âs was great â and I still love today many of the band of the 1970âs. The Shuttle liftoff is exciting to watch so is the liftoff of any satellite. In a way the âConcordâ also was fun to watch on its way up and down. When I go to any major airports I still enjoy watching the planes going up and down. **************** NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States government's current manned launch vehicle. The US Shuttle program started in the late 1960s and has dominated NASA's manned operations since the mid-1970s. Each Shuttle was designed for a projected 10 years' operational life. US Shuttle - Flight statistics (as of July 4, 2005) Challenger - (Blow Up during liftoff on January 28, 1986) Flight Days: 62 Orbits: 995 Number of Flights: 10 Crews: 60 Columbia: (Blow Up during re-entry on February 1, 2003) Flight Days: 301 Orbits: 4,808 Number of Flights: 28 Crews: 160 Discovery: Flight Days: 256 Orbits: 4,027 Number of Flights: 32 Crews: 192 Atlantis: Flight Days: 220 Orbits: 3,468 Number of Flights: 26 Crews: 161 Endeavour: Flight Days: 207 Orbits: 3,259 Number of Flights: 19 Crews: 130 TOTAL Shuttle Program from inception to 2005 Flight Days: 1,046 Orbits: 16,557 Number of Flights: 115 Crews: 703 .
Let me ask you something, SA. What the hell is your point in all of this? Why are you spending so much of your valuable time here, mocking the U.S. space effort? Let me ask you one more thing, SA. You agree that America is the greatest country in the world, right? A simple yes or no will do. Thank you.