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Atlantis Lands

Started by Tom, July 21, 2011, 08:39:37 AM

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Tom

This morning, before dawn, the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed closing out the U.S.A.'s Space Shuttle Program.  It hasn't anything to do with Forests, but, by golly, we've done a good job. The world is a better place for our efforts in Space.  :)


Tom

It's a great momento to share a birthday with.  Happy Birthday Charlie, Br'er Noble and Jeff.

Magicman

Much of today's technology and many of the "space age" plastics and other materials were developed because of the space program.  I guess that the only true "cost" was the fuel expended during takeoffs.  All of the labor, etc. just went back into the economy.  At least that's the way I see it.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

jim king

I remember very clear that we were in the living room in Peshtigo , Wisconsin when they landed on the moon.  One of those things you never forget.  That little Sputnik woke the world up and got the sleeping giant moving.

The "one small step" that changed the world.  I certainly agree with Magicman.

Hope the next phase is as good.

Chris Burchfield

We lost 12 in NASA's program over the years.  Including 1 X-15 pilot and one civilian in the Columbia disaster.
Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

florida

Heard the sonic boom as it went  over the house about 5:30 this morning. I'm going to miss that.
General contractor and carpenter for 50 years.
Retired now!

Magicman

Thanks for that reminder Chris.  Sometimes we all get caught up in the moment and forget the all important human element.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Warbird

I remember the first shuttle launch.  It is interesting to see such an important program be created, and end, within my lifetime.

D Hagens

 
I honestly wish that the Shuttle program would've kept on going. The research was amazing and there were so many benefits for many around the world :)
I'm kind of wondering which country will be doing any on going space flights if any?

scgargoyle

The sonic boom was surprisingly loud here this morning. They said on the news that we wouldn't hear it, but it really rattled the house.
I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots!

Sprucegum

China claims they will be the next ones to conquer space, and I doubt they will want to borrow my arm to do it  :(

SPIKER

I had hoped to get to see one launch, though I got more up close landings than a lot of people outside of NASA as I was stationed @ Edwards when they were flying a LOT of missions back in 1990~1992 I worked @ South Base on the B2 Program and the landing strip for the Shuttle was directly out front of our hanger.   I watched it land 150 yards away at night (that was weird) as we could hear it coming multiple sonic booms as it dropped in from outer space cork screwing in towards the base.    We had run way lights set up lighting the lake bed (landing strip) and we had the trucks out pointing the lights that way too.   I was driving one of the trucks & setting out there on tarmac...   Was really something to remember for ever...   I did get several day time landings too but the night time was the best due to fact we got nice & close to help illuminate the landing strip...   It touched down probably somewhere around 200~300 yards directly down from us & passed by with front wheel still in the air.   (normally the front wheel is "Flown" down real soon after touching down to keep aero lift holding it up so it dont drop causing damage to front landing gear.

Mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

Jeff

Today, July 21st is my birthday and because of that I have always felt some sort of tie to the space program.

On the day of my birth, Gus Grissom, piloting the Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7, became the second American astronaut to go into space.

On the first birthday I really have remembrance of, I sat playing with the Major Matt Mason space toys I got for my birthday and watched our black and white T.V. as Neil Armstrong descended down the steps of the Lunar Module and took the first steps on the Moon.

And now today, in my 50th birthday, the landing of final mission of the space shuttle.


Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

GAmillworker

Wow Jeff thats some interesting ties you have to the space program.

Happy Birthday Again.
Thank the Lord for second chances

Brucer

Quote from: D Hagens on July 21, 2011, 01:48:26 PM
I'm kind of wondering which country will be doing any on going space flights if any?

Russia. They will continue to service the ISS. One of our astronauts is going through the Russian program to qualify as a pilot on their spacecraft.

NASA is already working on the next generation of spacecraft. The shuttles weren't actually a very good idea. They tried to combine a freight-carrying spacecraft and a person-carrying spacecraft and the result was a compromise at best. The next spacecraft are going to be more along the lines of Apollo, except bigger with room for a bigger crew. Of course they will be much more sophisticated.

We will probably see a lot more robotic craft for shifting payloads.

Private enterprise is also getting involved. One thing the shuttles did (besides giving us ceramic cooktops ;D) was to prove that it was possible to repair and refurbish satellites in space. That's an enormous money saver for the satellite owner.

China has put a man in space and India has an ambitious space program -- they have a goal to putting the next person on the moon.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Brucer

Orbital Sciences Corp., a private company based in Virginia, has a contract with NASA to make 8 cargo delivery flights to the ISS. They will be using unmanned spacecraft that will find and dock with the ISS automatically.

The system they are using is kind of neat. Instead of putting a target on the space station, the system uses laser imaging to identify the station. The system has been tested on several shuttle flights, including the recent Atlantis flight.

Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Ianab

Europe, Japan and Russia all have unmanned cargo ships that can (and have) docked with the station, and the Soyuz capsules are going to be the crew movers for maybe the next 4 years until a new unit is built and tested.

Also the US company SpaceX is developing a similar capsule that's in testing now.

The Shuttles were ground breaking, 30 years ago. But they are old technology now. Personally I think they should have retired them a few years ago, and spend the billions that it cost to keep them flying on developing a replacement, which might have been in operation by now.

Burt Rhutan has the right idea with his "spaceship" series. Not orbital yet, but carry the craft to 50,000ft with a mothership and then launch into space from there. No huge thundering fiery blast off of course, but a heck of a lot less chance of exploding as well.  :( The "First Stage" of the launch vehicle is about as dangerous as an airliner, and about the same service needed to turn it around. (check the type pressures, oil level and fill up the avgas)

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Tom

It doesn't work too good if you are fired (or beat up economically), but I was always told to have another job before you quit the one that makes your bread and butter.

It seems to me that we should have had another means of carrying things to space before we quit the shuttle.  I don't like the idea of leaning on other other countries for our success, especially when the other countries have been so antagonistic in the past.

I have mixed feelings about all this buddy-buddy stuff with people who have just recently  been shooting at us and threatening to destroy the free world and our economic system.  I guess you have to find friends where you can find them though.  Friends, like we are seeking, are liable to have friends du jour and sell us down the river for their immediate gratification.  As a matter of fact, this is one thing embarrassing me about the the way the Obama administration is treating Israel, our ally.  Russia, or China, or even Japan are prime objects of this argument, not to mention Korea or anybody in the mideast.

Who do I trust right now?  Well, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England (UK) are those with the economic viability to go to space.  We have other allies, like Qatar, Sweden, Norway, Finland and a few others who would stick with us through thick or thin, but I'm not talking about just military allies.  The list that I'm comfortable with is fairly short.   

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