Live coverage of the final shuttle launch.

[beason]

i went to florida last year for a launch. those were from then. we got to go up on the launch platform to see it while it was in the VAB and they were building the solid rocket boosters (SRB's).

---------- Post added at 6:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 6:28 PM ----------

here is the album if you missed it.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v442/beason/shuttle launch/

 

[beason]

here is some more info i just got in an email ralph.

NASA has taken an important step in solidifying the future of human spaceflight beyond low earth orbit. We’ve reached an important milestone for the next U.S. transportation system that will carry humans into deep space. Our Administrator Charlie Bolden announced yesterday that the system will be based on designs originally planned for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Those plans now will be used to develop a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). That is great news for the JSC Team who have worked so hard on this project.

NASA and Lockheed Martin will continue working to develop the MPCV. The spacecraft will carry four astronauts for 21-day missions and be able to land in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The spacecraft will have a pressurized volume of 690 cubic feet, with 316 cubic feet of habitable space. It is designed to be 10 times safer during ascent and entry than its predecessor, the space shuttle. You can read more about MPCV at: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/

 

[Rolex]

Thanks for that. That's what I was hoping to hear. I thought I had read several years ago that they would develop another reusable vehicle that would be carried aloft and launched from the edge of space, rather than vertically. The cost savings would be tremendous, and so would the safety for the crew.

 

[beason]

There have been many plans come and go. We (lockheed martin) already built and did test flights on a second shuttle type craft before that was scrapped. They really need to take NASA away from the government so the "plan" doesn't change every 4 years.