A Sad Discovery

[DaveS]

People, It is just a number. Discovery lands when she lands and when she lands safely which is what anyone should be concerned about rather than hoping for world wide destruction thanks to severe weather.

I have never seen anything so daft.

In the event KSC is shut down due to a tropical storm/hurricane, they would just target EDW instead. Backup landing site would then be NOR.

EDW is always the prime alternate landing site in the event KSC cannot support a landing.

 

[Urwumpe]

And EDW or NOR are rarely getting Hurricanes.

 

[garyw]

As far as I'm concerned previous mission have shown that the shuttles are capable of longer than 11 days in space I mean look at STS-80 at 17 days.

It was required for that mission. It is not required for this mission. Chances are Discovery's docked portion will be extend by a day or two anyway. Discovery does have SSPTS which enables such docked lengths.

 

[N_Molson]

As long as the Orbiter isn't scrapped to spare parts or turned into a museum, there's always hope for an extra flight, given the very unclear future of US manned spaceflight...

 

[garyw]

As long as the Orbiter isn't scrapped to spare parts or turned into a museum, there's always hope for an extra flight, given the very unclear future of US manned spaceflight...

Not really. It's not just the orbiter, it's the External tank, the Solid rockets, the facilities to build and put them together and the manpower. All of which is being torn down and given pink slips.

Right now, if Congress decide to keep the shuttle it will take two years to get those production facilities back online. There will be a manned spaceflight gap, it is inevitable and it's already happening.

 

[N_Molson]

Two years would not be so long. But I agree that chances it happens are small, and not necessarily wishable for planetary exploration projects.

 

[n122vu]

Discovery doesn't care if it misses the 1 year mark. It won't have an anxiety/OCD attack just because it didn't stay the complete year in space. It won't see it as a tragedy that it fell short of a mark on a calendar. It won't get made-fun-of by the other shuttles. She will perform her mission and celebrate her career with pride and honor.

Being distraught over this, to me, would be like mourning the Aquarius lunar lander, which never got to land on the moon, but instead burned up in its entirety in Earth's atmosphere. It's mission was much more noble than any other lunar lander, and it performed with honor and dignity.

Mourn her not, mock her not, for she has served well.

 

[n72.75]

202-456-1414

Let's, everyone call.

 

[Ghostrider]

Mourn her not, mock her not, for she has served well.

My thoughts as well. If you believe Discovery has a soul or, rather, a manitou, it's a machine manitou. As such, its/her only goal and wish is to perform as good as possible and fulfill the tasks set upon it/her by the machine's creators.

Now if you will excuse me I have to perform a ceremonial rain dance. It includes enormous quantities of silver iodide. I just hope I won't have to eat any of it.

 

[Notebook]

Silver Iodide, when I was a lad it was called Solder...?

N.

 

[Linguofreak]

Silver Iodide, when I was a lad it was called Solder...?

N.

Not when it's being used for cloud seeding instead of soldering...

 

[Epsilon]

Obligatory XKCD:

http://www.xkcd.com/695/

 

[garyw]

202-456-1414

Let's, everyone call.

The whitehouse switchboard?

You do realise that the whitehouse will not and can not force NASA to keep Discovery in orbit for an extra two days? That decision is NASA's. They run the space agency (for now) and the mission timeline has been worked out over a year in advance yet you want to throw all that way just for a mark on a calendar?

Insane.

 

[n72.75]

The whitehouse switchboard?

You do realise that the whitehouse will not and can not force NASA to keep Discovery in orbit for an extra two days? That decision is NASA's. They run the space agency (for now) and the mission timeline has been worked out over a year in advance yet you want to throw all that way just for a mark on a calendar?

Insane.

I was being sarcastic... overtly so...

 

[Pyromaniac605]

Discovery's going to the Smithsonian.
Enterprise, Atlantis and Endeavour are up in the air right now as where they will go.

Actually Enterprise is in National Air & Space Museum. One of them will have to be put on display at KSC it just has to happen.

Darren

 

[Shadow Addict]

Actually Enterprise is in National Air & Space Museum. One of them will have to be put on display at KSC it just has to happen.

Darren

AFAIR they're moving out Enterprise to make room for Discovery. Makes sense, the NASM really should have one of the space-flying shuttles.

 

[Pyromaniac605]

Well they'll find a place for Enterprise someplace. They've already given it the all clear to go on the Shuttle Carrier one last time, or maybe a few more.

Darren