NASA

[sparky5693]

Being the nerd I am, i'm a huge space buff. With the scheduled retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2010, i've been closely following the development of the shuttles replacement, ares and orion. The scheduled replacement is a capsule and rocket based system. Orion is the capsule, and orion the rocket.

Looking at the plans, it jut feels like we're taking a huge step back, and reinventing 1960's technology. They're even planning it to return under parachute with ocean landing.

It's probably just the nerd in me, but it seems the public has lost interest in space flight. :(

[Mottern Man]

I am just going to ask one question................whatcutalkinboutwillis???

Sorry to hear that something you are into is getting downsized, space is cool but I never got into it.

[Reformation Student]

NASA has taken a public confidence hit over the last few years with the tragedies that have happened. I noticed, too, that they seem to be going backward and I wonder if it isn't a little safety zone for them ("hey, we know this stuff worked, let's try it again"). I'm sure I'm wrong on that but it seems that way to me.

The other thing is that the general public doesn't know the benefits of space exploration. It's been a long time since we've seen a "public knowledge" type of campaign.

I'm sure you've been following the story of Space Ship One and it's new project. That could get the public interested again, I think.

[sparky5693]

The loss of life is always tough but that comes with the territory, when you're doing things like this. If our pioneering explorers about things like this, I think the world would be a different place.

You may very well be right, NASA needs to start making things happen, or people are gonna forget about them. Once that happens, there funding is sure to follow. We need something to get excited about again.

Space Ship One is an amazing accomplishment. Who knows, maybe the public will be the next heroes of space flight.

[Queen of Blades]

This (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/home-and-city/home-and-city.html) is kind of interesting.

[PalmettoB]

NASA has taken a public confidence hit over the last few years with the tragedies that have happened. I noticed, too, that they seem to be going backward and I wonder if it isn't a little safety zone for them ("hey, we know this stuff worked, let's try it again"). I'm sure I'm wrong on that but it seems that way to me.

The other thing is that the general public doesn't know the benefits of space exploration. It's been a long time since we've seen a "public knowledge" type of campaign.

I'm sure you've been following the story of Space Ship One and it's new project. That could get the public interested again, I think.

You have a point there, Steve. Plus, before a lot of the tragedies happened, people started taking the shuttle program for granted. It seemed like an over glorified delivery van in space. NASA never really did a good job of stressing what it was taking up and how influential those experiments, tests and such were.

[sparky5693]

This (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/home-and-city/home-and-city.html) is kind of interesting.

Very nice. So many things have came about from the science of space. I didn't know about a lot of those.

[Michael]

I haven't paid much attention to space stuff since Neal Armstrong's little walk in the park. Yes, I heard him say his famous line...live. Now, I rarely even look up! :D Though I have to say the early days with Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn et al were exciting. We were all glued to our little black and white TVs - listening to Walter.

Space Ship One? I had to look it up just now to even have a clue what it was.

[Mottern Man]

Here is a little trivia. Anyone know this guy other then me?

[Michael]

Too easy, Will. It's Billy Joel of course. :rolleyes:

[Cutthroat_trout]

Now thats a cool space suit ! Bring those back as well !

[soulshine]

I was born in '68 so I am finding "When We Left Earth" to be very - very interesting. I got my wife hooked on it too!

[IsaacRN]

Here is a little trivia. Anyone know this guy other then me?


Its Mercury Astronaut Alan Shepherd?.........or someone with to much time on their hands at halloween time.

[Mottern Man]

Its Mercury Astronaut Alan Shepherd?.......

Correct.

[tjgriffin]

Too easy, Will. It's Billy Joel of course. :rolleyes:

Yes, in his younger days! :D

[Reformation Student]

Now, I rarely even look up! :D

Watch out. Sounds like you're a candidate for the little flashy thingy from Men In Black :D

[sparky5693]

I was born in '68 so I am finding "When We Left Earth" to be very - very interesting. I got my wife hooked on it too!

It definitely has been an interesting series. I wish I were around to witness the excitement of space exploration in the 60's.

I saw those ticker tape parades through major cities.... amazing. Now people don't even know when the shuttle launches.

[IsaacRN]

A little something called National Pride. The US was a much different place back in that time.

[otherstar]

Well, if you read the book by first generation shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane called Riding Rockets, you'll find out that the shuttle is a very imperfect vehicle with no way of escape if something goes wrong prior to orbital insertion. The problem with tile loss has been occurring since the first shuttle launch, the public just didn't find out about it until Columbia disintegrated killing all aboard. The Shuttle is a wonderful idea but a very flawed technology. The public lost interest in spaceflight before Apollo 13, picked up again for that flight, then lost interest until the shuttle came around again. The routine of it all has people bored. If we go back to the moon, that might generate some interest for a short time. I'd rather see us using a reliable technology that is cost effective than something really expensive and unsafe.

[Queen of Blades]

Welcome to The Shave Den, otherstar!

Don't miss the Newbie Give-Away (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6440)! :happy088

[sparky5693]

The shuttle is certainly not the right vehicle, but I hate seeing the rocket and capsule again.

I was really hoping to see something using scram jets, that could take off from a runway.


BTW- welcome aboard :D

[mastermute]

So many things have came about from the science of space. I didn't know about a lot of those.

One thing I find alarming is that the [formerly] technology driving platforms, space and defence, have had their R&D budgets cut and are now buying "off the shelf"... That is a HUGE blow to new inventions like those listed... I think we are in for a stagnating future... I doubt we would have Tempur or solarpanels/enegry if it wasn't for NASA/The spacerace (We need to credit the Soviet too, without a competitor it wouldn't have happened either) or microwave ovens if it wasn't for the defense industry. The "side effects" of these huge driving forces has been enormous...

[Michael]

A little something called National Pride. The US was a much different place back in that time.

This was NEW! The first trip up was just up and back - didn't even orbit - and people were fascinated. The guy actually left the earth's atmosphere and came back in one piece!! Then as it progressed, they orbited and actually landed where they wanted to land. New, different, amazing stuff. Of course, the moon shot was impossible.

Yeah, national pride played a part, but it was more than that. The very idea that ANYONE could do such a thing was beyond belief. We all knew when the launches were coming, listened to Mission Control (and Walter of course), crossed our fingers and watched the launches. It really was interesting...fascinating stuff.

Now, with all the technological advances in every field of endeavor, plus the fact that they've been doing this sort of thing since the 60s, it's just not the same any more. I watched 'em all on TV back then - even got to see an unmanned Titan IIIC launch from Cape Canaveral once. It was weather delayed and we had to come back the next day...but come back we did!

Now, well, it's just not the same.



Oh and Will, your pic was too easy. ;) Everyone from that era knows Shepard! This one might have been a challenge though...

[mastermute]

Oh and Will, your pic was too easy. ;) Everyone from that era knows Shepard! This one might have been a challenge though...

Buzz Aldrin! (Says Aldrin on his suit too :p)

[Michael]

Buzz Aldrin! (Says Aldrin on his suit too :p)

Yeah, I saw that after I posted the pic...would you have known otherwise? I don't think I would have. Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong, Tom Hanks, sure, but not Buzz.

[mastermute]

Yeah, I saw that after I posted the pic...would you have known otherwise? I don't think I would have. Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong, Tom Hanks, sure, but not Buzz.

Actually, I would have, due to his Swedish heritage he got almost the same attention here as Armstrong, so that's why I knew of him:

His Swedish ancestors were blacksmiths who emigrated to America from the province Värmland in Sweden.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004696/bio (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004696/bio)

[Michael]

Actually, I would have, due to his Swedish heritage he got almost the same attention here as Armstrong, so that's why I knew of him:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004696/bio (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004696/bio)

I didn't realize he was Swedish...nor did I know the moon pics were mostly of Aldrin![...on why no famous photos were taken of Neil Armstrong (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035842/) during the Apollo 11 landing on the moon] As the sequence of lunar operations evolved, Neil had the camera most of the time, and the majority of pictures taken on the moon that include an astronaut are of me. It wasn't until we were back on Earth and in the lunar receiving laboratory looking over the pictures that we realized there were few pictures of Neil.

[mastermute]

I didn't realize he was Swedish

Interestingly enough, my maternal grandfathers ancestry comes from blacksmiths from the province of Värmland... and we know that there were people from his family that emigrated to the States.. so who knows, we might even be related :p

[sparky5693]

Tempts me to look into researching the family tree... that's really cool.

[tjgriffin]

This was NEW! The first trip up was just up and back - didn't even orbit - and people were fascinated. The guy actually left the earth's atmosphere and came back in one piece!! Then as it progressed, they orbited and actually landed where they wanted to land. New, different, amazing stuff. Of course, the moon shot was impossible.

Yeah, national pride played a part, but it was more than that. The very idea that ANYONE could do such a thing was beyond belief. We all knew when the launches were coming, listened to Mission Control (and Walter of course), crossed our fingers and watched the launches. It really was interesting...fascinating stuff.

Now, with all the technological advances in every field of endeavor, plus the fact that they've been doing this sort of thing since the 60s, it's just not the same any more. I watched 'em all on TV back then - even got to see an unmanned Titan IIIC launch from Cape Canaveral once. It was weather delayed and we had to come back the next day...but come back we did!

Now, well, it's just not the same.
[snip]



That's a very good point. It was a new frontier. To generate the kind of interest space travel had, we need another new frontier. Think of the hoopla if someone traveled in time for the first time. And it was broadcast live on TV.

[otherstar]

Thanks for the welcome. Of course that would be nice to see a "newer" technology used, but with us having people on the ISS at all times, I'd rather see the USA have a different vehicle to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS that is more reliable than the Soyuz (remember the astronauts on the last trip back in a Soyuz missed their landing spot and hit close to 13g's on the way down--not good). The shuttle and "space planes" like it aren't rated for moon shots either, so if we are going back to the moon anytime soon, we need a vehicle that will make it (shielding, systems, etc.).