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The End of an ERA.  Rate Topic 
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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 04:12 pm
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sportscenterisnext
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Image above: The STS-133 crew members, from the left, are NASA astronauts Alvin Drew and Nicole Stott, both mission specialists; Eric Boe, pilot; Steve Lindsey, commander; Michael Barratt and Tim Kopra, both mission specialists. Image credit: NASA

STS-133: Final Flight of Discovery


Mission: STS-133
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Primary Payload: Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM)
Launch Date: No earlier than Nov. 4, 2010
Launch Time: 3:29 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39A
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Mission Duration: 11 days
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Workhorse, ambassador, scientist and equal opportunity emissary. Space shuttle Discovery has fulfilled all those roles over the course of its 352 days in space, thus far.

It’s been the first shuttle to venture into new territory several times, and it’s about to do so again: Following the STS-133 mission, Discovery will be the first of the shuttle fleet to retire.

“We’re wrapping up the Space Shuttle Program,” said STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey. “Besides the excitement of completing the International Space Station and all the things we do, I hope people get a sense of the history of what the shuttle is and what we’ve done and what’s ending. Because they’ll probably never see anything like it flying again.”

After STS-133, space shuttle Endeavour has one more flight on the manifest. Atlantis has the possibility of another flight, and it has to be ready for one regardless, as it would be the rescue vehicle if Endeavour were to need it. So Discovery will be the first vehicle to roll to what will definitely be a final wheel stop.

It’s certainly earned its retirement. Discovery has flown more missions than any other shuttle – more than any other spacecraft, in fact. After 38 missions to date, and more than 5,600 trips around the Earth, Discovery has carried satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and sent the Ulysses robotic probe on its way to the Sun. It was the first shuttle to rendezvous with the Russian Mir Space Station, and it delivered the Japanese Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station.

By the end of STS-133, 180 people will also have flown aboard Discovery, including the first female shuttle pilot and the first female shuttle commander (who happen to be the same person – Eileen Collins), the first African American spacewalker (Bernard Harris) and the first sitting member of congress to fly in space (Jake Garn).

The rest of the story

Discovery Facts  (pdf)

Parents & Children alike, best to enjoy the space program while we still can, it will be a considerable time before the U.S. Space program returns to manned launched.

For those of you who have Dish and Direct Satellite TV, the NASA channel offers tremendous viewing opportunities of the Launch, Docking, Space Walks and Landings.  Like a lot of you I dreamed of being an astronaut, I enjoy watching this stuff, I really get excited when I see the crew members crawl into their Shuttle  with the White team and get strapped into their seats prior to liftoff. 



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 04:18 pm
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TVDinner
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Great accomplishments without a doubt, but I have always wondered why we have not done more yet. Gone further. Been back to the moon and set up a base camp. Traveled to Mars, etc etc etc. It was 1969 when we went to the moon. Over 40 years ago.

I know I know that is very simplistic and we still have accomplished A LOT AND we don't live in a Sci Fi movie, but still, you would think in 40+ years more would have been done by now....



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 04:27 pm
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WWIIBuff
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I am going to drive out and see her final launch

    
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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 04:55 pm
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tinknocker
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TVDinner wrote: Great accomplishments without a doubt, but I have always wondered why we have not done more yet. Gone further. Been back to the moon and set up a base camp. Traveled to Mars, etc etc etc. It was 1969 when we went to the moon. Over 40 years ago.

I know I know that is very simplistic and we still have accomplished A LOT AND we don't live in a Sci Fi movie, but still, you would think in 40+ years more would have been done by now....

+1 on that. Heck, we should of been to Mars by now if we kept the momentum and political will going.



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 05:23 pm
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IVXX
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Space travel is not as easy as one thinks. It takes a lot of $ and time. If NASA had a unlimited budget they would have done a lot more. As far as going to Mars, you have to take steps before sending humans there. We just recently had the rovers there. NASA also does a lot of weather related things, as well trying to learn about our universe. Not to mention figuring out ways to detective and prevent asteroid strikes.



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 05:24 pm
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djpop
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money money this country would rather fight wars. There are a lot of things we could have done and havent.

    
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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 06:38 pm
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DenFromNM
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TVDinner wrote: Great accomplishments without a doubt, but I have always wondered why we have not done more yet. Gone further. Been back to the moon and set up a base camp. Traveled to Mars, etc etc etc. It was 1969 when we went to the moon. Over 40 years ago.

I know I know that is very simplistic and we still have accomplished A LOT AND we don't live in a Sci Fi movie, but still, you would think in 40+ years more would have been done by now....

after the cold war and the race for space, funding was cut.  We'll see what the future brings.



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 08:23 pm
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tinknocker
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IVXX wrote: Space travel is not as easy as one thinks. It takes a lot of $ and time. If NASA had a unlimited budget they would have done a lot more. As far as going to Mars, you have to take steps before sending humans there. We just recently had the rovers there. NASA also does a lot of weather related things, as well trying to learn about our universe. Not to mention figuring out ways to detective and prevent asteroid strikes.

It took us 9 years to get to the moon. 41 years later, all we're doing is going around the Earth.

We just never progressed with the steps needed or we would at least, had a station on the moon by now.



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There is only one teacher. What is that teacher? Life itself. And of course each one of us is a manifestation of life ; we couldn't be anything else. Now life happens to be both a severe and an endlessly kind teacher. its the only authority that you need to trust.


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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 10:09 pm
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IVXX
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There have been 6 Moon landings that resulted in men walking the lunar surface. A total of twelve men have been on the Moon. (Apollo 11 in 1969, 12 in '69, 14 in '71, 15 in '71, 16 in '72 and 17 in '72) Aside from that Apollo missions 8, 13 and 10 have reached lunar orbit and several Russian Space missions have soft landed on the Moon; Luna 20 in '72, and Luna 24 in '76 even returned samples. The Chinese are planing a 2020 moon landing.



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 10:47 pm
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sportscenterisnext
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Why do we need a base on the moon, what can we gain? Allow rovers (satellites) to check first the planets of deep space before we send a human to it?

We just witnessed the rescue on miners in Chile, buried beneath the earth for 2 months. In the history of mankind a rescue like this has never been attempted, would you like to be the guinea pig to attempt this in the vastness of deep space?

Missi­ons to space lasting several weeks can­ a­chieve some amazing results. We can reach the moon, service satellites and telescopes and test all sorts of equipment. But here's the thing: Exploring other planets, or what's beyond our solar system, is going to require serious time -- months, even years. The human body isn't designed to live in space. So getting us to the point of exploring farther than ever before requires long-term tests on the effects of space life on the human body. That's where a permanent space station comes in.

And to think it all started, more or less, with the terrifying appearance of a shiny ball measuring a mere 22 inches across.

Challenges lie ahead as NASA moves into its second half-century. Funding remains a chronic problem, especially in the age of the shrinking government purse. NASA, like other agencies, has to fight for its place at the budget trough.

Public perception has also changed over the years. A new generation, one that has grown up taking space flight for granted, doesn't understand why the seemingly routine should be so costly. What they fail to realize, perhaps, is that none of this is routine, and never will be.



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 Posted: Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 10:54 pm
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IVXX
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sportscenterisnext wrote: Why do we need a base on the moon, what can we gain? Allow rovers (satellites) to check first the planets of deep space before we send a human to it?

We just witnessed the rescue on miners in Chile, buried beneath the earth for 2 months. In the history of mankind a rescue like this has never been attempted, would you like to be the guinea pig to attempt this in the vastness of deep space?

Missi­ons to space lasting several weeks can­ a­chieve some amazing results. We can reach the moon, service satellites and telescopes and test all sorts of equipment. But here's the thing: Exploring other planets, or what's beyond our solar system, is going to require serious time -- months, even years. The human body isn't designed to live in space. So getting us to the point of exploring farther than ever before requires long-term tests on the effects of space life on the human body. That's where a permanent space station comes in.

And to think it all started, more or less, with the terrifying appearance of a shiny ball measuring a mere 22 inches across.

Challenges lie ahead as NASA moves into its second half-century. Funding remains a chronic problem, especially in the age of the shrinking government purse. NASA, like other agencies, has to fight for its place at the budget trough.

Public perception has also changed over the years. A new generation, one that has grown up taking space flight for granted, doesn't understand why the seemingly routine should be so costly. What they fail to realize, perhaps, is that none of this is routine, and never will be.


+1 Excellent post!



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 Posted: Fri Nov 5th, 2010 03:42 am
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sportscenterisnext
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Weather Forecast Friday: 60 percent "Go"

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:03:54 AM MST

The shuttle weather team is calling for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions for space shuttle Discovery on Friday. They are watching for high winds in the wake of a cold front moving through Central Florida. Discovery is on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Friday's launch time is 3:04 p.m. EDT. There are no scheduled STS-133 news conferences on NASA Television today and no planned Space Shuttle Program Mission Management Team meetings today. The shuttle team will convene at 5 a.m. Friday to assess the weather before giving a “go" or "no-go” decision to fill Discovery’s external tank.

If Discovery launches Friday, it will dock with the International Space Station at 10:55 a.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 7. The mission’s two spacewalks will occur on Tuesday Nov. 9 and Thursday Nov. 11. Undocking will occur at 4:21 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, and landing at Kennedy Space Center will take place at 9:16 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16.



details details



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 Posted: Tue Nov 9th, 2010 09:54 pm
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sportscenterisnext
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Oh my, I want one of these to look out of.



Cupola

"The ‘Cupola’, attached to the nadir side of the space station, gives a panoramic view of our beautiful planet," said Expedition 25 commander Doug Wheelock. "Fyodor (Yurchikhin) took this picture from the window of the Russian Docking Compartment (Airlock). Here I am in the Cupola preparing a camera for our late evening Hurricane Earl flyover … trying to capture the moment …

Bang it here for more.



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