And the space shuttle Atlantis takes off!

[Varsity]

Did any of you see it? I stayed in some town a couple miles away from the launch site, unfortunately i missed Bungie day so no stakes for me. But I did get to see the last space shuttle launch in America. If any of you guys saw it, how was it? I thought it was awesome it was almost delayed a day. BTW cant post pics cause im on my iphone.

 

[TechMav]

Stuck at work myself, but a coworker and I are both big shuttle fans, so we watched it streaming on NASA TV. Awesome launch, I remember watching STS-2, -3, and -4 from the back yard when I lived in Florida (I'm dating myself here) in third grade. I also remember the Challenger disaster, watched it on TV.

End of an era... until Congress authorizes 'one more mission'

 

[WrathPrime]

I watched it on TV this morning with my kid. I think it was her first and now last time seeing one take off live.

It's a sad day that the once leaders in space flight are now done with it. Damn you science fiction and your lies!!!

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

The problem with STS is it's on the magnitude of 4 times more expensive than the Soyuz for a typical launch. It was designed to be cheap enough to launch hundreds of flights over its lifespan, but it never made good on that promise. Plus they had a nasty tendency to explode.

It's sad to see it go, and it's doubtful the US Space Program will make anything that good ever again, but looking on the horizon of private spaceflight, I see even better things ahead.

 

[Hyperballistik]

Usually I get to watch all of the shuttle launches from my backyard, but unfortunatly it was to cloudy so I didn't get to watch the last launch in person, figures the one time I do want to watch it and mother nature interferes

 

[Spitfire22V]

I manged to catch the livestream in NASA's website when the countdown was at 31 sec! So glad I didn't miss it!

I took a roadtrip with some friends back in April to see Endeavor's last launch, but it was cancelled right when we got to Space View park. We were pretty upset, but made the best of our time in Florida anyway. It was some consolation that it didn't launch for so much time later, so it's not like we barely missed the re-launch.

 

[WrathPrime]

The problem with STS is it's on the magnitude of 4 times more expensive than the Soyuz for a typical launch. It was designed to be cheap enough to launch hundreds of flights over its lifespan, but it never made good on that promise. Plus they had a nasty tendency to explode.

It's sad to see it go, and it's doubtful the US Space Program will make anything that good ever again, but looking on the horizon of private spaceflight, I see even better things ahead.

What happens when a giant meteor heads to earth and we need to send a special team of oil drillers to save the planet? What then....

Oh and 2 out of over a hundred isn't a huge amount to make that statement, plus both could have been avoided but it was the lack of propper maintenance and checks that lead to those failures.

 

[Tyvern]

Good bye Shuttle it's been nice having you......

 

[I am Fuzzy Bear]

I went outside to see it, but these last few launches it has always been cloudy. It's ok though, I still heard the roar of the engines. Its like a jet plane that you can't hear or see, hovering about 2,000 feet above where you are standing.

 

[OptimusWang]

Oh and 2 out of over a hundred isn't a huge amount to make that statement, plus both could have been avoided but it was the lack of propper maintenance and checks that lead to those failures.

He's actually dead on: the chances of catastrophic loss of craft and crew during the first nine flights was a pucker-inducing 1 in 9. Later flights and safety improvements decreased this risk to 1 in 90. Given these numbers, NASA statistically had a only a six percent chance of completing 25 flights without the loss of an astronaut crew. Source.

I went outside to see it, but these last few launches it has always been cloudy. It's ok though, I still heard the roar of the engines. Its like a jet plane that you can't hear or see, hovering about 2,000 feet above where you are standing.

I'm in Orlando and I couldn't see this one either

 

[Toacrabman]

I pulled an all-nighter and played in the bungie day playlist, and my friends awesome WWII omaha beach map (i owned his team with like 30 kills in a row), then at 7 am when i tried to finally get some sleep I saw it on the news.

 

[Lord Talon]

Kind of a nostalgic thing for me, I watched the first flight of Columbia on TV when it happened, and I watched the final Shuttle launch this morning. Yes, I am that old ( 41).

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

What happens when a giant meteor heads to earth and we need to send a special team of oil drillers to save the planet? What then....

Oh and 2 out of over a hundred isn't a huge amount to make that statement, plus both could have been avoided but it was the lack of propper maintenance and checks that lead to those failures.

SPACESHIP THREE
[Richard Branson Approves]

Actually, the risk of the Challenger explosion was well-known, but was taken anyway. And the Columbia explosion was just bad luck. There was no foreseeing that one.

Even still, when 2 of 6 (that's 1 in 3) of the shuttles retired by fire, that's what we call a poor safety record. It's kind of embarrassing, actually; I counted Enterprise as a shuttle to be generous. The STS is the NASA equivalent of a Chevrolet Corvair: Unfit to fly in any conditions. But they did it nonetheless. FOR SCIENCE. We need more of that.

 

[Tyvern]

USMC dropship program.......

could be a alternative spave vehicle?

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

USMC dropship program.......

could be a alternative spave vehicle?

No, it's ODST

 

[Varsity]

No, it's ODST

No, its obviously grunts.

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

No, its obviously grunts.

Good thing that food nipple's waitin' for me back on the starship.

 

[ForgedReclaimer]

Didn't get to see it live but watched a discovery special on the launch. Its hard to see major Icons of space flight get grounded for good. But I'm hopeful to see what comes in the future for manned space flight now that a new shuttle is needed.


With the progress of technology since the creation of the shuttles, i hope NASA can finally create a new, safe platform able to reach their needed demands that the now grounded shuttle craft didn't live up too. Seeing as private companies are even creating manned space vehicles i hope NASA stays in the manned flight game.

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

You know, it kind of pisses me off, where they're sending the retired shuttles. Kennedy Space Center's getting one, and that's fine, but they're sending one to LA and one to New York? Why those places? Why not Johnson Space Center, where every manned mission has been overseen? Wouldn't it make sense to leave the iconic spacecraft in the place most associated with it?

Houston, we have a problem.