Pardon my ignorance but what and why have the USA sent up yet another space shuttle.

What are they looking for up there

What are they sending up there

How much has this thing cost YET AGAIN $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

How much? BILLIONS of dollers.

Why? Because they're Americans - holidaying in France is just too complicated for them!

Also the major question I have been asking is about the safety of said astronauts on the shuttle.

Another shuttle damaged on its way into space, and I still fear very much for the lives of the astronauts as they make their way back home.

When are they meant to be coming back down to earth?

Monday isn't it?

Originally posted by Wattsy
Pardon my ignorance but what and why have the USA sent up yet another space shuttle.

What are they looking for up there

What are they sending up there

How much has this thing cost YET AGAIN $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Well, I'd rather they spend it on exploration than weapons.

I think it's excellent that we can occasionally look out from this rock with the hope of getting out in to space.

This time they sent a load of stuff to the International Space Station.

How much has it cost? An absolute ****load. But worth every penny. I wish we'd been far sighted enough to keep a space program when we had one.

As for the shuttle damage on launch - there has actually been LESS damage due to foam, etc. on this one thn on previous ones! It;s just that since Columbia they're much more aware of it.

Joe

I will laugh really loud if they came across little green men or other ailen life form.

I wish some alien life form would come down to earth and take some of our people away for experimentation. Mind you they are more than likey more intelligent than us and dont want us anyway.

Beam up all the drug addicts / drunks / muggers / murders / rapists and leave the rest of us alone in peace

Originally posted by Wattsy
I will laugh really loud if they came across little green men or other ailen life form.

I wish some alien life form would come down to earth and take some of our people away for experimentation. Mind you they are more than likey more intelligent than us and dont want us anyway.

Beam up all the drug addicts / drunks / muggers / murders / rapists and leave the rest of us alone in peace

have u been smoking something slightly illegal?

Originally posted by Wattsy
I will laugh really loud if they came across little green men or other ailen life form.

I wish some alien life form would come down to earth and take some of our people away for experimentation. Mind you they are more than likey more intelligent than us and dont want us anyway.

Beam up all the drug addicts / drunks / muggers / murders / rapists and leave the rest of us alone in peace i agree 99%,include terrorist and i will agree 100% :clap: :clap: :clap:

Ever since the first moon landing, I've kept a weather eye on space exploration.

And what gets me is this: the space shuttles are about 25 years old.

If I had a car that old, I'd be reluctant of taking it on the road (unless it was one of those 'classic car' things (rich man's toys).

But to expect a 25-year-old machine to go into the harshest environment of all and to perform miracles is expecting too much.

Either build new ones, or give it up.

Here's what they've been up to :

Two crewmembers, Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi, will venture outside the Shuttle three times on spacewalks. The first will demonstrate repair techniques on the Shuttle's protective tiles, known as the Thermal Protection System. During the second spacewalk, they'll replace a failed Control Moment Gyroscope, which helps keep the Station oriented properly. Finally, they'll install the External Stowage Platform, a sort of space shelf for holding spare parts during Station construction.

Shame that US law stops NASA from paying the Russians for Soyuz craft - they could do a lot more IMHO if they dropped the shuttle and used Soyuz and a few other commercially available rocket launchers.

Can't wait until they get the expendable launch platform for moon/mars exploration - hope its as big and impressive as Saturn V :thumbsup:

The benefits of the US space program, initiated by President Kennedy, have been enormous - many, many modern-day inventions owe something to discoveries made either as part of the program or as a result of the boost it gave to scientific research. I'm all for it and, like JoeP says, I'd rather have more spacecraft than more bombs.

Originally posted by dishwasher
Ever since the first moon landing, I've kept a weather eye on space exploration.

And what gets me is this: the space shuttles are about 25 years old.

If I had a car that old, I'd be reluctant of taking it on the road (unless it was one of those 'classic car' things (rich man's toys).

But to expect a 25-year-old machine to go into the harshest environment of all and to perform miracles is expecting too much.

Either build new ones, or give it up.

They are designing new ones - at teh moment though there's a gap which they're trying to fill with the Shuttles and with the older technology Russian 'capsule' approach.

Also, don't knock old hi-tech. It's DESIGNED to be used for a long time. Look at the B52 bomber - still in service, 50 years old. Much military technology has such a lead time that it's even worse than you think - chances are the thinking behind the Shuttle is more like 30 years old or more. :)

Joe

The B52 bomber doesn't have to go through the stresses and strains of take-off into space and the associated problems of re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, does it though?

Originally posted by dishwasher
Ever since the first moon landing, I've kept a weather eye on space exploration.

And what gets me is this: the space shuttles are about 25 years old.

If I had a car that old, I'd be reluctant of taking it on the road (unless it was one of those 'classic car' things (rich man's toys).

But to expect a 25-year-old machine to go into the harshest environment of all and to perform miracles is expecting too much.

Either build new ones, or give it up.

if your car had been used 5 times (I'm guessing, how many missions has this specific shuttle flown?) and was rebuilt from the ground up with mostly new components after every one would you still be thinking that it wasn't road worthy.

The age of the shuttles is immaterial, they may as well have been built yesterday.
The only thing that's out of date is the actual design.

Originally posted by dishwasher
The B52 bomber doesn't have to go through the stresses and strains of take-off into space and the associated problems of re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, does it though?

True, but it doesn't get the maintenance the Shuttle gets and it's probably done a darn sight more flying hours.

And when a B52 takes off there's still a lot of loading stress on the wing roots, engine pylons, etc.

Joe

Some of those $$$$$$$ were paid by me in taxes. I wqould guess that not one $ was paid by Wattsy, so why should he worry what we Americans spend in space. Look to your own house before you attack ours.
Prince Charles drives around in an Aston Martin. When I left I was running an 850cc Mini, and could barely afford the road tax on that. Now I own a Merc.

Originally posted by buck
Some of those $$$$$$$ were paid by me in taxes. I wqould guess that not one $ was paid by Wattsy, so why should he worry what we Americans spend in space. Look to your own house before you attack ours.
Prince Charles drives around in an Aston Martin. When I left I was running an 850cc Mini, and could barely afford the road tax on that. Now I own a Merc.

not sure of the point of the car analysis at the end. but the first bit makes sense.