Space shuttle Atlantis makes final landing

Perfect weather greeted the crew of Atlantis just before dawn Thursday. The 30 year shuttle program has come to an end.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• space
• shuttle
• atlantis

[TaoMannaDon]

My heart sinks to watch this, knowing that it may be years or never before America returns to space. Space exploration holds all the promise of any endeavor into the unknown. And now, at least for a while, my country has shut itself off from the gifts of new discoveries in space.

May the future hold a new space program for America, one that is not encumbered by governmental bureaucratic anchors. May our next space program be fired by the entrepreneurial spirit of liberty and free enterprise.

[digideth]

sad sad day

[luisromero63]

THANK YOU NASA.....!..

[sisk22]

@TaoMannaDon Well put.

[TaoMannaDon]

@superskullmaster Though I did not state it specifically, your assumption that I am not aware of the current private efforts toward space exploration is incorrect. I am following those with great interest. As my last paragraph indicates, efforts from the private sector are what I'm supporting.

[kofimazu]

so is the international space station abandoned now?

[gamingnovice]

Imagine they made contact with an E.T. on their last mission up there it probably would say to them: "Go back home to your own planet now, we have no desire to talk to your kind.You kill each other, lie to each other, cheat each other, threaten and deceive each other, have the ability to talk and use it to argue with each other to no end, you harrass, betray, misuse and abuse each other etc..." Astronauts:"But we come in peace" E.T.:"Ha! even your leaders say that to each other, not buying it!"

[superskullmaster]

@TaoMannaDon Wow you are so misinformed. There are numerous private rocket companies in the U.S. that can do what NASA did cheaper and more frequent. Were only out of this for a little bit but we will be back stronger than ever.

[rckn4ever]

You can thank Obama for getting rid of NASA. It has more important things to do in his opinion. Such as reaching out to muslims so they do not feel dumb. giving them all the rocket technology and secrets sothat they can make a better rocket with longer range, say enough range to hit the U.S.A.

How Americans can leave this obvious traitor in office proves Americans have been brainwashed.

[samsonguy10k]

Now stands the opportunity for private enterprise to get off their butts and act on their own power to take advantage of space. There is a lot of junk metal alone that can be collected up there for resources. Beyond that, other planets to harvest minerals and resources from so we can quit raping our own living world. Then countless asteroids and other objects to use and study.

NASA showed us how it can be done. Spaceship One showed us how to do it cheaper.

Let's go.

[Rikaflare]

Ugh, so sad. Why not cut some of the welfare instead?  Space exploration > the ghetto.