The Little One and I just watched another shuttle launch from the breezeway. He, as a cat, didn't think much of it, but as always, I was left in awe
( Read more... )
I don't follow these matters super-closely, but I do recall half-hearing a little while back that soon, there will be no more US space launches... that Americans going into space will be forced to buy rides on Russian (or whatever) vessels. Did I understand that right?
Is there a countdown to when there will be no more launches from down where you are?
Well, possibly, temporarily. The idea was that the space shuttles would be retired and the U.S. would use Russian rockets until the next space program is ready to go. However. The next space program is under significant debate at the moment, so it's not entirely clear what will be happening.
Not to mention that nobody is entirely sure what the Air Force just sent up and if the Air Force's thing can be used in the space program and how. It would help if we knew what it was.
"Maybe it was the love of the planets, maybe it was just my growing dislike for this one, but for as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of going into space."
There's a touching scene in GATTACA when Vincent is staring longingly into space, as space shuttles are blasting off . . .
"For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving. Maybe I'm going home."
I cannot believe that we will be forever stuck on this planet and this solar system.
Hubris, I realize, to ask why else the stars are there, but, you know, they are there. We should go look at them. It's ridiculous that we've just barely found those little dwarf planets in our own system and more comets and some astronomers are still debating if we have a tiny red dwarf companion star and we aren't answering all of these awesomely cool questions just about what's around Jupiter because for whatever reason we haven't gone yet. And that's just here. We have so many more systems to look at!
Or maybe I just watched too much Star Trek when I was a kid.
They are pretty awesome. If you're ever in Florida, you can see the space shuttle from pretty much anywhere in central Florida. The ordinary rockets are a bit harder to sight, but they have plenty of places where you can watch relatively close by. NASA.gov tells you when all of the non-military rockets are going off.
Comments 10
Is there a countdown to when there will be no more launches from down where you are?
Reply
Not to mention that nobody is entirely sure what the Air Force just sent up and if the Air Force's thing can be used in the space program and how. It would help if we knew what it was.
Reply
There's a touching scene in GATTACA when Vincent is staring longingly into space, as space shuttles are blasting off . . .
"For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving. Maybe I'm going home."
Reply
Hubris, I realize, to ask why else the stars are there, but, you know, they are there. We should go look at them. It's ridiculous that we've just barely found those little dwarf planets in our own system and more comets and some astronomers are still debating if we have a tiny red dwarf companion star and we aren't answering all of these awesomely cool questions just about what's around Jupiter because for whatever reason we haven't gone yet. And that's just here. We have so many more systems to look at!
Or maybe I just watched too much Star Trek when I was a kid.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I realize that the engineering logistics are huge, and that yes, we can get robots there, but robots aren't the same. Much though I love robots.
Reply
This.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment