“Is it still flying?” I have been asked that question many times. Back in 2011, I was proud to answer “yes.” But the answer is now “no,” which angers many in the space community, and also leads some portion of the public to believe that NASA is dead. That is, of course, not true. Fans… READ THE REST
I like how they have the shuttle sitting at an angle and the cargo bay door open. One of the annoyances with the Smithsonian exhibit is that you have to just walk around the shuttle at ground level so most of what you see is the carbon-carbon tiles. The cargo bay door is left closed and you can’t get close enough to look in the windows.
1 Like
We could see the SRB’s and the external fuel tank from across the river in Port St. John. It looks like they’ve done a fantastic job setting up the new shuttle area at the visitors center, we will check it out soon. Thank you for writing such a nice piece on it. Although they are still launching rockets somewhat regularly from out there, I can’t wait for manned space flight to get back in action!
“But the answer is now “no,” which angers many in the space community”
Those in the space community who weren’t footing the bill, apparently. Or held responsible for the project schedule. Or serving as liason with the multiple, overlapping, maddening layers of rules and managers, etc. etc. etc…
The rest of use are quite happy to book other launch vehicles. Standardized (and thus, competitive), streamlined (literally and metaphorically), and accomodating launch vehicles, from responsive managers.
No Tang for you.
2 Likes
Did that really fly in space?
Ah yes, like piloting a brick with wings, it did not so much fly, as… plummet.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
