# Last NASA Launch



## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Today NASA will launch it's last space shuttle, you can watch this event live from NASA's website:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

I'd encourage you to watch this event as it may be a while before events like this occur again.


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Bump, 30 minutes till count down.


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## digibucc (Jul 8, 2011)

this is sad


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

20 minute countdown just started


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

It lanches in an hour at earliest.  Countdown is on the right:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

what was the 20 minute countdown they just showed for then?


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

They have like a dozen countdowns (T-20 minutes and counting now, T-9 minutes and holding, T-9 minutes and counting are left). XD

Launch time is set for 11:26 AM EDT (15:26 GMT).


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

ah right, the hold the countdown once it reaches 9 minutes, so its got 53 minutes left on the clock


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Yeah, they are holding for 40 minutes just now.

Still quite a bit to take in while the launch counts down.


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

i've closed the feed for now, you beaches better post here to remind me when its T minus 5 or so


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

Which means ... 9 minutes ago??? I'm confused. :X


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

digibucc said:


> this is sad



No! this is a very good thing

Think about it in , private company's = competition , competition = better tech & lower prices 

That is the only way for us normal people that we'll ever go into space , it is like in the beginning of airplane without private company's & competition we probably would still not use airplane to go to other country or would be paying 5 times or more the price of what we are paying right now for a airplane ticket ,  imagine that...

Like everything else in life , private company's + competitions = Good for all of us period


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

Goodman said:


> Good for all of us period



Capitalistic pig.

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/34475/731937-mot7_large.jpg

I'll leave the feed on, I like the chatter.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

Here's what's left:


> *T-9 minutes and holding*
> This is the final built-in hold, and varies in length depending on the mission (estimated to be 40 minutes for this mission).
> -Final launch window determination
> -Activate flight recorders
> ...




Private companies often don't have $15 billion a year to spend on research.  How is there better tech and lower prices when there's little/no money to be made yet?  Space craft design has to come a very long way before ventures to space become profitable.


If you have the NASA channel, they provide constant coverage of this stuff.  I wouldn't be surprised if major news networks break away from their regular programming to cover the final launch as well.


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

Aww man now they're showing some footage with dramatic music. Bleh.


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

FordGT90Concept said:


> Here's what's left:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



http://scaled.com/projects/tierone/

Beside rocket engine are way overdue...


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## pantherx12 (Jul 8, 2011)

Meh!

Someone else will launch rockets at some point.


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## W1zzard (Jul 8, 2011)

Goodman said:


> No! this is a very good thing
> 
> Think about it in , private company's = competition , competition = better tech & lower prices
> 
> ...



apple should build a space elevator .. iElevator
or google and in return they will scan and search-index your body


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

W1zzard said:


> apple should build a space elevator .. iElevator
> or google and in return they will scan and search-index your body



So? if they got the money for it & can make a profit they will do it...

I am talking about Private company's like this one  http://scaled.com/projects/tierone/ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXahIoXMw8

Lots of other compagnies are researching for space tech & way to get ordinary people in to space & that all i care about period


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

pantherx12 said:


> Meh!
> 
> Someone else will launch rockets at some point.



Your right, someone will launch a rocket. Sadly NASA has peaked and practically died off in less than a generation. It's memorable to some who remember space travel as historic.

Edit, still holding at 9 minutes.


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## HossHuge (Jul 8, 2011)

Wow, Thanks for this......

I remember watching the first one.

Everybody take a drink of what ever it is you've got at launch......

Did that guy say "Call me back?


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

They are within 1 minute of starting T-9 countdown.  11:26 AM EDT is still the target launch time.


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

T minus 6 minutes now


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## HossHuge (Jul 8, 2011)

I'm drinking a Sapporo!!  What are ya drinking!!!!

This would be sweet for the Super Bowl.


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

HossHuge said:


> I'm drinking a Sapporo!!  What are ya drinking!!!!
> 
> This would be sweet for the Super Bowl.



pepsi max with jack daniels


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

cheers to nasa, thanks for all the fun stuff in space.


edit: or not, failure at T-31s :S


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

If your not watching now, get on the feed.


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## brandonwh64 (Jul 8, 2011)

THIS IS SO FREAKING AWESOME! I love space shit


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

Failure at 31 seconds.


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

"STD failure" I heard.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

Resuming countdown... launching right about now.


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## streetfighter 2 (Jul 8, 2011)

This is so bittersweet.


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## plugugly (Jul 8, 2011)

Visibility Sucks, I work about an hour south of the Cape and I can't see a thing.


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

3600 miles per hour and already 20+ miles away from only after a couple minutes of flight.

Feed froze for me


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## Fourstaff (Jul 8, 2011)

The next US people carrier will be Falcon Heavy + SpaceX Dragon?


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

mlee49 said:


> 3600 miles per hour and already 20+ miles away from only after a couple minutes of flight.
> 
> Feed froze for me



Same here. It's on now though. No video yet.


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## HossHuge (Jul 8, 2011)

This is something Obama should have gone to.


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## blu3flannel (Jul 8, 2011)

mlee49 said:


> 3600 miles per hour and already 20+ miles away from only after a couple minutes of flight.
> 
> Feed froze for me



Likewise. I Frapsed from T-minus 1:30 until the feed froze.


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

feed just crapped out on me too (constant stuttering), but i got to watch it take off and the boosters seperate with the view of distant clouds in the background


(video is playing for me now)


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

oooh its rotating now


so now its facing 'right way up'


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## Frick (Jul 8, 2011)

I see the light.

BTW, so cool how you see earth moving away. Crazy speeds.


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

god damn, look how fast those clouds are moving away...


edit: i'm just impressed how we're getting live feeds FROM A GOD DAMNED SPACE SHIP AS IT LEAVES EARTH. thats some impressive effort there.


edit 2: nooooo shuttle, you are leaving our camera.....


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## streetfighter 2 (Jul 8, 2011)

Mussels said:


> edit: i'm just impressed how we're getting live feeds FROM A GOD DAMNED SPACE SHIP AS IT LEAVES EARTH. thats some impressive effort there.


What you didn't hear?  This is all faked.  It's done in a studio in Hollywood. 

Unlike everyone else the feed hasn't had the slightest hiccup for me.  Clear as day.


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## HossHuge (Jul 8, 2011)

15 000 miles an hour.  4 miles a second.  hard to comprehend


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

Mussels said:


> feed just crapped out on me too (constant stuttering), but i got to watch it take off and the boosters seperate with the view of distant clouds in the background
> 
> 
> (video is playing for me now)



Watching live at CNN no problems at all...


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Goodman said:


> Watching live at CNN no problems at all...



link it


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

mlee49 said:


> link it



Cable TV


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

Goodman said:


> Watching live at CNN no problems at all...



i'm in australia remember, a few more bounces on the signal.



so is that it for images of the shuttle?


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## HossHuge (Jul 8, 2011)

looks like it's headed toward Europe


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

The delay was to verify complete retraction of the gaseous vent arm from the shuttle.  Except that, the launch went according to plan.  Atlantis is approaching orbit.


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Damn, no sound from the NASA.tv feed 

I'll try a refresh

edit, it's not the feed it's mee.


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

FordGT90Concept said:


> The delay was to verify complete retraction of the gaseous vent arm from the shuttle.  Except, the launch went according to plan.  Atlantis is approaching orbit.



They already are in orbit...lol!


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## streetfighter 2 (Jul 8, 2011)

I was about to phone NASA and be like, "biatches, do a barrel roll!"  But they beat me to it.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

And there you have it, launch number 135 a success and the end of an era.

Atlantis will dock with the ISS Sunday morning and will land on July 20.


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## Goodman (Jul 8, 2011)

They were replaying the launch at CNN & than came the commercials...


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## Mussels (Jul 8, 2011)

yeah the feed is replaying the launch now, guess its time for me to get to bed


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

Goodman said:


> http://scaled.com/projects/tierone/
> 
> Beside rocket engine are way overdue...


a) That's rocket powered (liquid, not solid, but same concept).
b) The shuttle with tank and boosters weighs 4 million pounds--that can't even come close to the same lifting power (up to 8 passengers and 50,000 lbs of cargo vs 7,000 lbs), speed (17,500 mph), nor altitude (385-mile-high orbit--2,032,800 feet vs "above" 53,000 ft).
c) It's basically just a tourist trap for a short, low-orbit space flight.  It isn't like the shuttles which are a research vehicle as well as cargo transport.

All we have now are what we had back in the 1970's: big ass un-reusable rockets.  And "we" don't even have them.  If memory serves, ISS will only be serviced by Russian rockets now.  In other words, the USA just lost the space race.

Oh, and Hubble is all by its lonesome.  There's no practical way to service it anymore with the shuttles gone.


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)




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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 8, 2011)

FordGT90Concept said:


> a) That's rocket powered (liquid, not solid, but same concept).
> b) The shuttle with tank and boosters weighs 4 million pounds--that can't even come close to the same lifting power (up to 8 passengers and 50,000 lbs of cargo vs 7,000 lbs), speed (17,500 mph), nor altitude (385-mile-high orbit--2,032,800 feet vs "above" 53,000 ft).
> c) It's basically just a tourist trap for a short, low-orbit space flight.  It isn't like the shuttles which are a research vehicle as well as cargo transport.
> 
> ...



The space race was over when the cold war ended. We were doing it for purely scientific reasons afterwards. We all won the cold war IMO. No World War was the goal and proxy wars were just countries testing the waters.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

I look at it from the perspective of how much space there is and how little of it we explored.  Now the only program that put a major dent in that exploration (landing on the moon) is virtually dead while the Russian program is still going.  We can't win a race if we don't have a race car, yeah?


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 8, 2011)

fuck space. who needs it.


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## SK-1 (Jul 8, 2011)

I saw the Hubble launch back in the 80's. Very memorable moment in my life...


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

An interesting read:
http://www.space.com/11363-nasa-space-shuttle-replacement-30-years-anniversaries.html


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## dank1983man420 (Jul 8, 2011)

FordGT90Concept said:


> I look at it from the perspective of how much space there is and how little of it we explored.  Now the only program that put a major dent in that exploration (landing on the moon) is virtually dead while the Russian program is still going.  We can't win a race if we don't have a race car, yeah?



We still have the one current Mars rover as well.  I haven't heard of any other country come close to doing something like that yet iirc.  Plus we have a new nuclear powered one launching in November sometime apparentlyhttp://news.yahoo.com/nasa-narrows-next-mars-rovers-landing-two-choices-110201051.html

It almost seems like NASA is like "been there, done that"  attitude with the moon and space station work and is hopefully trying to get ready for landing on Mars next or whatever the next step is when the next fleet is ready.


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 8, 2011)

According to the article I linked, it sounds like their next focus is landing something on an asteroid then getting to Mars and beyond.  They make it sound like the only way for NASA to look beyond the moon was to kill the shuttle program for financial (too expensive to operate the shuttles and research at the same time), political (the concepts that got close didn't get the necessary support to continue to the next phase), and stigma reasons (had a reputation of being "good enough" so why research?).


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## mlee49 (Jul 8, 2011)

Easy Rhino said:


> fuck space. who needs it.



If I was a Mod I'd give you an infraction for this. 

but this will have to do:


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## btarunr (Jul 9, 2011)

This is so cool: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13877321


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## HossHuge (Jul 9, 2011)

btarunr said:


> This is so cool: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13877321



It's not working for me...


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## HammerON (Jul 9, 2011)

btarunr said:


> This is so cool: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13877321



That is pretty cool


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## SK-1 (Jul 9, 2011)

HossHuge said:


> It's not working for me...



give it a few...


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## bostonbuddy (Jul 9, 2011)

Meh, nows the time for R&D not actual space travel.
Going to mars now isn't gonna have alot of returns.
The big resource in our solar system is going to using Jupiter for fuel.
We won't need ftl to get there but we are going to need some very big very efficient drives to move heavy machinery there.  
A Jupiter mission is at least 50 years away, really no reason to visit space in the meantime, just funnel all the money you would have spent into r&d.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 9, 2011)

bostonbuddy said:


> A Jupiter mission is at least 50 years away,



more like 150 years.

closest distance from earth to the moon: 363,104 km (225,622 miles)

closest distance from earth to jupiter: 628,743,036 km (390,682,810 miles)

that's 1,731 times farther!!!!!


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## KainXS (Jul 10, 2011)

I think it really comes down to resources if there was a valuable rare resource on europa we would be pushing hard for jupiter but the drive just isn't there and it dosen't happen. Its not that it can't be done its just that theres not enough interest in it.

its sad to see the shuttle program go though, theres not much to replace it or what it did right now(as in right now)


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## The Witcher (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm unaware of NASA situation but could someone tell me why did they close the program ?

I suppose budget problems ? 

Why can't the American government cut a few billions from it's weapons race and research budget ?

Man, just imagine how much would we advance if somehow these bloodsucking politicians  disappeared and all this budget went into education and researching. I can already see StarTrek technology O_O !!!


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 24, 2011)

Supposedly, the Shuttles are costing too much to allow research on future vehicles.  Every time NASA came up with a proposal to replace them, no one (especially Congress) wanted to fund it.  So the only way they can advance their technology is to stop the Shuttle program.




The Witcher said:


> Why can't the American government cut a few billions from it's weapons race and research budget ?


You're guess is as good as mine although I am sure it comes down to elections.  Taking peoples money and giving them "free" healthcare gets more votes than a space program does.

Personally, I think the Department of Defense and NASA budgets should be combined.  Their research often coincides but only the public aspects of it should be done under the NASA brand.  NASA's budget is only some $15 billion a year where DoD gets over $600 billion.  Some of the research DARPA does though could be applied to space combat with great effect though (like the Airborne Laser).


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