[NCC-73515]

http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/

[Futureguy]

I would like to see the names of ALL the astronauts to date written on the outer side of the bay doors on the last flight to honor them. Especially the ones who died in service.

Wish that from the beginning they had placed a large image of each mission's badge on the outside of the cabin area. Positioning akin to the style of a WWII bomber logo would have been cool.

[Futureguy]

I just hope that it is not a while before we have a replacement for at least LEO. Preferably, a craft with deep space capability!

[Ensign James T. Kirk]

Not to go off topic on your thread, NCC, but just what is the plan for manned flight over the next 5 years? Nada?

[Futureguy]

Originally Posted by Ensign James T. Kirk

Not to go off topic on your thread, NCC, but just what is the plan for manned flight over the next 5 years? Nada?

There will be manned flight, but by which countries.....Russia, China? Good for them, but our dependence on them for any upcoming manned missions will only create further opportunity to "outsource" our space program. A friendly competition between countries can only create better means for space travel.

I would liken that to growing dependent on the neighbor to drive me around to do my job. One day the neighbor may just quit helping or move away. We need a sound spacecraft...now, before the shuttle quits flying. Like you, I don't see a replacement on the near horizon even after the shuttle is retired. Apollo should have continued and overlaped the shuttle program, just like Orion should have been ready to go as the shuttle was being retired. This country has had only one operational type of spacecraft at a time. Bad idea! If an Orion/Apollo craft had been in the works back in 2003, it would have been flying by now. The shuttle itself could have taken the craft up for test flights and returned them without a dedicated launch vehicle. They could have complemented each other in purpose. Sorry Rant, Rant, Rant!

[horatio]

Originally Posted by Futureguy

A friendly competition between countries can only create better means for space travel.

True, but international missions can achieve much more than that, they can envision a peaceful and cooperative (the biggest problems of our century, financial disorder, global warming and overpopulation can only be solved cooperatively) future.

Space exploration is useful in three ways. First, we discover something directly, e.g. that we might drift a bit towards Venus when we continue to pump CO2 into the atmosphere. Second, we discover something indirectly in research, e.g. Teflon or a more prominent example, the Internet as a result of military research (this is the biggest argument for public and non-target reasearch, the greatest discoveries have always been made by accident). Third, and this refers to the point I made in the beginning, space is also a space for our dreams, visions and ideas.

But instead of this we can devote public resources to bailing out banks and blowing up military budgets ad infinitum.