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  • Phill Fenton

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 10:39 pm

    It’s tragic

    We are regressing as a species.

    40 years ago we had supersonic passenger planes and men walking on the moon. After this flight America will no longer have a transport system to put men in earths orbit (never mind send them to the moon or even mars). Supersonic passenger travel is also a thing of the past now that Concorde has been cancelled.

    I would never have believed it in 1970 if someone had told me that in 2011 we would no longer have an American manned space program or supersonic passenger travel.

    Whatever happened to mankinds "Vision".

    If the green activists have their way (and at this moment in time it looks like they will) in another 10 or so years we will be experiencing electricity rationing due to the lack of investment in nuclear power stations and the foolish dogma of reliance on renewable" energy sources.

    Already my nights are dimmer due to the use of useless low energy lightbulbs that fail to provide proper lighting at night.

    Where are the visonaries that created the future? Nowadays we are hamstrung by useless politicians that haven’t a clue 🙄

  • Neil Davey

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    Alex this is the last launch for Discovery.
    Endeavour is set to launch on April 19th on STS 134 and the final launch should be Atlantis STS135 on 28 June.

  • Phill Fenton

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 10:49 pm

    Tragically there is no replacement planned for the shuttle. The Orion spacecraft which was to have replaced it has already been cancelled (Rightly so as it was resurrecting obsolete technology) but why is there no proper replacement planned?

  • Neil Davey

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    I know Phill, it’s all very shortsighted.
    JFK will be turning in his grave!
    It’ll be up to us with a joint Scottish / Welsh Space Alliance.
    I agree with some green policies but I would support Nuclear Energy.

    All hail the incandescent light bulb so we can see again. 😀

    Right i’m off to switch the electric blanket on 😳

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    I agree about backward steps!

    as for these stupid low energy bulbs, I have four on in this room right now (22ft x 14ft), two wall lights and two uplighters, i’m still unable to read a bloody newspaper without getting a headache cos of the dim light.

    from what I understand they’re also more harmful as landfill, cannot be properly recycled and use more energy to make than the old bulbs.

  • Mike Grant

    Member
    February 24, 2011 at 11:53 pm
    quote Phill Fenton:

    Whatever happened to mankinds “Vision”.

    They ran out of dollar bills! The world is going bankrupt! No money=no toys 😥

  • Alex Pirozek

    Member
    February 25, 2011 at 7:17 am
    quote :

    Alex this is the last launch for Discovery.
    Endeavour is set to launch on April 19th on STS 134 and the final launch should be Atlantis STS135 on 28 June.

    Opps…. i stand corrected.

  • Neil Davey

    Member
    March 8, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    Discovery and the STS-133 astronauts are preparing for their return to Earth on Wednesday. The first landing opportunity is at 11:57 a.m. EST at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida which means you can watch it live at 16:57 UK time. I think? Best check 😕

  • Phill Fenton

    Member
    March 8, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    An amazing picture showing the ISS and Discovery can be seen here:-
    http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/08/discoverys-last-moment-in-the-sun/

  • Nicola McIntosh

    Member
    March 8, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    missed it 🙄

  • Harry Cleary

    Member
    March 9, 2011 at 4:55 pm

    Live right now
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp … 8#41759278

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    March 9, 2011 at 5:22 pm
    quote Harry Cleary:

    Live right now
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp … 8#41759278

    doh, got in 15 mins too late, woulda likes to have seen it land, i remember seeing the first ever take off and landing when i was probably still at primary school, seems right to make sure i watch the last in April.

  • Neil Davey

    Member
    March 9, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    Another and final great landing, what a way to come home from work 😀

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogal … d=70439671

  • Neil Davey

    Member
    July 8, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Geek alert.
    This ‘is’ the last ever launch.
    A few hours to go.

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    July 8, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasti … elive.html

    that’s the right link i think

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    July 8, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    60 seconds to go!

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    July 8, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    aargghh

    stoppped at 31 seconds and i have to go in two minutes!

  • Gavin Conway

    Member
    July 9, 2011 at 6:38 pm

    Lift off… and Endeavour docked to the ISS

    http://www.copy-cats.info/atlantis.htm sorry cant work out to display the image ..

  • Jeffrey Cross

    Member
    July 11, 2011 at 10:52 am

    I just noticed this thread. Thought I’d share a political cartoon that is very appropriate. I was 11 years old when Neil Armstrong stepped out on the moon.


    Attachments:

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    July 21, 2011 at 10:01 am

    gutted, just missed the landing by a few mins or so….

    still on the runway here…

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

  • Gavin Conway

    Member
    July 21, 2011 at 10:02 am

    Just watched it… but not as good as a daylight landing…

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    July 21, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I guess not but, still… to have missed it by two mins!! it was literally just rolling to a stop as I flicked on, didn’t think it was landing til about 11:15!

    just heard them say that it has just completed a 5million mile+ round trip, and in it’s 30 odd missions it’s done over 125,000,000 miles! amazing.

    those aux power supply engines (or whatever they are) which are venting sounds pretty excessive for a ‘vent’!

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