Farewell To The Space Shuttle

It was announced that the American Space Shuttle Fleet is being retired this year (2011). As this marks the end of an era in manned space flight and in light of my facination with space exploration and sci-fi, I felt a need to comemerate this event with a special video tribute. This is a compilation of the maiden flight of each space shuttle beginning with the original test vehicle, the Space Shuttle "Enterprise". It is set to various pieces of music from popular sci-fi movies and tv shows. It is my way of celebrating the 30yr career of the shuttles and bidding a fond farewell to one of the longest and greatest steps humanity has taken "To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before."

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Space
• Shuttle
• Enterprise
• Columbia
• Challenger
• Discovery
• Atlantis
• Endeavour
• First
• Launch
• Flight
• Star
• Trek
• BSG
• TMP
• Wrath
• Of
• Kahn
• Supergirl
• Theme
• Colonial
• Anthem
• airplanes
• compilation
• space
• aviation
• inspirational
• The
• Never
• Ending
• Story
• Auryn
• Leaving
• Drydock

[ti994apc]

Good video! It actually marks the end of something we should have never continued after the 1st flights. Shuttle ended up being a huge drain on resources at 1.6 billion per launch and needless waist of human life. Shuttle had no escape system and humans should never be put on a rocket with solid rocket fuel. Luckily, the Falcon9 rocket will be its replacement and its looking like the safest rocket ever created for human travel. And Falcon9 is only 50 million a launch.

[gorn9146]

@ti994apc I have to disagree with you in part. The space shuttle program, though expensive, proved a reuseable space craft could not only be built but, really could be reused again and again. Now that we know how to do it, we can refine the design and the process to improve safety and reduce costs. The tragic losses of "Challenger" and "Columbia" were due IMO to simple oversightes. Try as you might, you can never plan for "All" contengencies. You'll always overlook something.

[ti994apc]

@gorn9146 Although we created Shuttle because it was hard (jfk quote), it just was not practical. After 3 flights we realized it, but did not do anything about it. It was just a jobs program. By design, SRB's (which Wernher von Braun was against and one of the reasons he left NASA because they don't turn off), Wings (must orient for re-entry), crew cabin inline with fuel tank, and no escape system makes for a very dangerous manned rocket, the most dangerous manned rocket ever created.

[gorn9146]

@ti994apc Like I said before. Now that we know how to do it, we can refine the whole process. The vehicle design, the launching system and method, install proper safety and emergency escape features and find ways to reduce the operating costs. The ultimate dream of humanity is finding a way to get off of this rock and on to another one which we can also live on or even find one such rock that already has people on it. But getting there is not going to be easy or cheap.

[gorn9146]

Space Shuttle "Discovery" has returned safely from it's final mission. Farewell "Discovery" and we thank you!

[ti994apc]

@floridashorti Yes we need to boldly go further. We only needed a couple of Shuttle launches to prove re-usability. Shuttle was sold on the promise that it would cost 50 Million p/launch. By the 3rd mission it was apparent Shuttle would not remotely come close to 50 Million and it ended up being 1.5 Billion per launch. For every Shuttle launch perhaps 100 people did NOT get to get to space because of costs. After the 3rd flight there was nothing left to prove.

[floridashorti]

@ti994apc respectfully i state i cannot think as u. i have a tremendous Pioneering Spirit, a thirst for Knowledge & a desire to Explore the unknown. Flight has given us the ability to expand our horizons; Aircraft/Spacecraft, Manned/Unmanned, commercial or Military - we have come so far & have much to be proud of. if the value of an undertaking is determined solely on cost & danger we can never Boldly Go.

[gorn9146]

@Moviechaser You're welcome. Hey, do me a favor, spread the word and this vid. Please?

[31XD]

nice

men