Thoughts on the state of our space hardware

[niteshad]

At the end of 2010 (the year, according to Arthur C. Clarke that we're supposed to be launching our second manned mission to Jupiter) NASA will retire the space shuttle fleet from active service after nearly 30 years of operation. At that point in time, we will lose our ability to effect on-orbit repairs beyond the vicinity of the Space Station.

Comments

[praecorloth]

A very nice read. One thing that caught me as kinda wonky in wording was this:

"However, unlike the Apollo-1 disaster, which caused NASA to step back and redesign and improve the Apollo capsule, Orion is a step backward."

The use of step back twice here catches me off guard.

In any case, mind if I repost this in my journal? I've got a couple of friends who'd probably enjoy the read. Or, is this journal entry protected? I could just point them here.

[niteshad]

Yeah, this whole essay was essentially written stream of consciousness, after I got back from listening to some DJ friends of mine spin electronic music at a bar in Detroit. I wanted to get it all down before I forgot it, so some of the grammar is clumsy.

Perhaps later I'll edit it. Perhaps not.

It's publicly posted, so feel free to link to it. I'd prefer that to you reposting it in your journal, only for the reason that all the comments on it will be in one place for me.

[uplinktruck]

Excellent read. Very insightful and I agree with much of what you wrote. Especially that the Orion is a step backward.

Based on what I've heard around the Kennedy Space Center cost was not the primary issue. Engineers gave up trying to make the space shuttle safe enough for more routine flight.

It is an interesting thing to attend a landing. There is a section on the second level of the reviewing stand set aside for NASA employees, mostly launch team members. As the shuttle turns into it's final approach the entire region hear's the sonic booms. If you watch the employees waiting on that level you can see that upon hearing the booms, they all take a breath at once. As if they've been holding it since roughly T-00:00:05.

I found my way here via stormgren