Yeah! Sorry I missed it.

I didn't think they would take off today. They had about a 30 minute window due to weather concerns.

It's never boring is it? Although you might think so by the lack of talk in the blogosphere about the shuttle and the ISS. Whatever is happening down here on Earth it probably doesn't compare to what's going on in space.

I watched the launch live. You're right, it's never boring. In fact, it's always moving and emotional for me for some reason.

The camera mounted on the main booster provided some awesome live shots from the launch pad, and a few seconds later you can see half of Florida, and a few seconds later you can see the curvature of a quarter of the Earth and its oceans, and a minute later the booster separates and the Shuttle drifts gracefully away into orbit.

It's just awesome.

And then you think about the seven brave, highly trained and highly skilled people on there, and thousands more on the ground backing them up, reminding America that just about anything is possible if we set our minds to it.

(The mission bios had eight astronauts listed. I couldn't figure out why there were only seven boarding. Then I realized that the eighth had been up there on the ISS for a while and would be coming home on the shuttle, and one of the seven boarding the shuttle would be replacing him for an extended stay on the ISS. It's truly an amazing thing.)

Never been to Huntsville. Been to Kennedy Space Center several times. Can never get enough. As R said, been within a mile of the shuttle taking off. A wonderful experience. In Central Florida, we would stop along the road as the shuttle lauched to watch it go up. Always holding our breath to never see what we saw in '86.

When I was a kid I really wanted to be an Astronaut, but I get horrible motion sickness so it probably wouldn't work. The space program is essential to both America's future and the world's future, It doesn't get enough support any more.

I know exactly where I was when the first shuttle went off and landed. I also, unfortunately, know where I was when the Challenger exploded.

I have friends who live within an hour of the Kennedy Center and they talk about listening to make sure the shuttle got off safely.

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"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

I remember in the late fifties and early sixties when the News Sentinel published a little section that had tips on where and when to look for satellites passing overhead. We used to park on the roof and watch the show on clear evenings. And we always watched Walter Cronkite's coverage of the manned missions on CBS. They covered the entire mission back then, not just the launch and recovery. Of course they were a lot shorter then.

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We're lucky if we can see the stars with all the light and air pollution now.

I remember where I was when I heard the news in '86. I had turned on the TV that morning and saw pics of ice on the tower, as it had gotten below freezing on the cape. I left for work that day knowing they had to scrub the mission because of the o-rings, a situation that had been well explained every similarly cold day that delayed takeoff. Sometime that morning a co-worker yelled across the hall what had happened.

Reagan was to give an important speech that day that was to include a line about the first teacher being in orbit. I read years later where Christina McAuliffe's mother blamed the accident on the rushed schedule in order to realize Reagan's script.

I thought relatively (too) little was made of the Columbia disaster, sadly.

I have bittersweet feelings about the whole space thing, anymore. I have very fond memories of it that extend up to about '86, though.

It's amazing, but most nights when it is not cloudy, I take the pupster out around 10PM and look up to see the stars. And we're within a mile of the airport. Orion is so easy to see. Sometimes I feel like calling someone and telling them to go outside and look up. It's beautiful.

I don't mean to throw a wet towel on the thread (the launches are amazing), but can someone tell me how many billions we spend on the space program? More to the point, can someone tell me what we have gotten from these billions (that could not have obtained through other experiments, technology, unmanned rockets)?

I'm not trying to be a 'flat-earther', but we spend billions sending these ships/people up and back, billions which could be spent on lots of other things in the world. Please don't respond with 'we waste billions on X too' or 'if Bush hadn't spent billions on X'. Stick to the space program. Is it just the NASA full-employment program? I really want to know if there really is any cost-benefit to the manned space program.

I noticed the launch got one paragraph at the bottom of page A8 in today's News Sentinel, as part of some national news briefs.

I guess it's good that space travel is so routine that it's no longer newsworthy. I remember hoping that would be the case when I saw the first shuttle launch. But it's disappointing in a way, too.

You are right Chad...we should spend those billions on this clusterf*ck of a war in Iraq vs space exploration.

Way to go Justin, you successfully posted off topic. That's the reason I said "don't respond with Bush spend billions on X". I knew some wouldn't disappoint. You win the prize again.

As for Randy's links, I'll look. And, Mrs. Randy, the reason I asked instead of looking it up is there are several who posted on this thread who appear to be 'space fans', so I figured they might know. Considering Randy's post, it appears I was, at least partly, right.

I don't know if any of the links have some analysis of the benefits of space exploration v. the costs, but I'll take a look...and get back to you.

I'm not trying to be a 'flat-earther', but we spend billions sending these ships/people up and back, billions which could be spent on lots of other things in the world.

What the hell kind of response did you expect Chad? Read your own question(s). You start off complaining about how much we spend on space flight/exploration vs other "things".
Are you related to #9 by chance?

What the hell kind of response did you expect Chad?

Uhh...well, maybe one like Randy's that actually tried to address the question as opposed to making every question about Bush and the war. Apparently you're a one-trick pony.

We also wouldn't have major advances in medicine, meteorology, technology, research and science.

Specifics?

Do they even make Tang anymore? Of course, the number of water based drinks boggles my mind. I generally drink the plain kind at home and at the gym, flouride and all. According to some Blount Countians I'm therefore assured to die of some disease, but with fewer cavities.

Kidney dialysis, heart disease diagnosis, cochlear implants, storm forecasting, Nerf gliders, sunglasses, foil, etc. etc.

(link...)

No offense but finding useful NASA spinoffs isn't rocket science. Here are but a few:

ENRICHED BABY FOOD, WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM, SCRATCH-RESISTANT LENSES, POOL PURIFICATION, RIBBED SWIMSUIT, GOLF BALL AERODYNAMICS, PORTABLE COOLERS/WARMERS, SPORTS TRAINING, ATHLETIC SHOES, Dustbuster, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, smoke detectors, flat panel televisions, high-density batteries, trash compactors, food packaging and freeze-dried technology, cool sportswear, sports bras, hair styling appliances, fogless ski goggles, Velcro, self-adjusting sunglasses, composite golf clubs, hang gliders, art preservation, and quartz crystal timing equipment.

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ENRICHED BABY FOOD, WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM, SCRATCH-RESISTANT LENSES, POOL PURIFICATION, RIBBED SWIMSUIT, GOLF BALL AERODYNAMICS, PORTABLE COOLERS/WARMERS, SPORTS TRAINING, ATHLETIC SHOES, Dustbuster, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, smoke detectors, flat panel televisions, high-density batteries, trash compactors, food packaging and freeze-dried technology, cool sportswear, sports bras, hair styling appliances, fogless ski goggles, Velcro, self-adjusting sunglasses, composite golf clubs, hang gliders, art preservation, and quartz crystal timing equipment.

I looked over the list and descriptions of these developments. A couple of questions. It appears to me that many of these could have (and likely would have) been developed without the need to travel to space. For example, a number of the benefits cited are things like safer auto panels (as a result of panels on spacecraft) and computer technology as a result of the need for advanced computer technology to allow transfer of technical data among many users and allow the spacecraft and launch process to work. It seems highly likely these things would have been developed as part of, say, auto research or computer technology.

They do some amazing research out in Oak Ridge (which has nothing to do with weapons), all without leaving the atmosphere. Yes, we got better baby food because astronauts needed food to last longer. Women got sports bras (you think no one would have figured that out without NASA?). All these byproducts are cited as rationale to travel into space in the first place. We just happened upon them while spending billions trying to figure out how to launch folks up in a rocket ship. I suppose what I was looking for was some research which cannot be accomplished earthbound. I'm not saying they don't exist or that the space program has been a waste. Weather and the atmosphere seem like a possibilities for research we couldn't do on earth. Maybe there are more.

At first we wanted to explore and learn about what's out there. We also wanted to beat the Russians, right? We certainly know a lot more than we did in the 60's. Maybe there's more to learn about the worlds beyond ours. I suppose the reason the shuttle program is being ditched is that we can learn without the need for manned missions. I don't know that the space program has been worth the billions we've spent. Billions for longer lasting baby food and better helmets? Is NASA just a government program which we needs a budget so as not to, shudder the thought, go out of business? I think these are fair questions.

I suppose what I was looking for was some research which cannot be accomplished earthbound.

Look at the list of ISS science and research provided earlier.