Today at 2:20pm EST, the Space Shuttle Atlantis will liftoff for mission STS-132. This will be the last time that this shuttle will fly before being retired. If you care enough, you can watch the final liftoff here:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html?param=public

Following this launch there will only be two more scheduled shuttle launches: Discovery launching for STS-133 on its final flight in September and Endeavour launching for STS-134 on it's final flight in November.

5/14/2010 9:34:13 AM

is it bad that I remember the first flight of it? shit.

5/14/2010 9:49:42 AM

damn you old jadn!

5/14/2010 9:58:05 AM

I remember its first flight as well.

I hope her last flight is a great one!

I wish I could go to FL and see the launch live, I've yet to do that.

5/14/2010 10:43:58 AM

I thought they were still in negotiations whether to continue the space shuttle for a few more years.

5/14/2010 10:48:47 AM

The wastefulness of low orbit manned spaceflight comes to an end! I wonder what exciting middle school science experiments they'll perform on this mission!

5/14/2010 11:05:39 AM

Please take your trolling elsewhere. You come into every space related thread I make and try to start an argument. If you disagree with manned spaceflight that's your opinion, just take it to the soap box and make your own thread about it.

5/14/2010 11:29:39 AM

I'm sorry, I don't recall ever having seen you before. Are you new?

5/14/2010 11:32:03 AM

Oooh! I'll have to step outside at that time.

5/14/2010 11:34:17 AM

I just hope no one else dies. These things do have a 40% failure rate. It always sucks to be the last soldier killed in a pointless war.

5/14/2010 11:37:54 AM

Failure rate does not equal death rate. Given that there have only been two catastrophic failures that resulted in loss of crew and over a hundred successful missions, there is a 2% death rate per astronaut-flight.

5/14/2010 11:42:30 AM

Well, as NASA sees it, the important thing are the shuttles. The monkeys along for the ride are replaceable. 2/5 shuttles have failed. 40% program failure rate.

Incidentally, the USSR was smart enough to send up their space shuttle unmanned.

[Edited on May 14, 2010 at 11:47 AM. Reason : Of course now, any shuttle failure would be an instant, premature end of the entire program.]

5/14/2010 11:46:32 AM

space shuttle launches are SO EXCITING to me! i will be watching this

5/14/2010 11:46:38 AM

smc, you're just trolling. GTFO and make your own thread someplace else, this isn't chit-chat.

5/14/2010 11:56:12 AM

Great launch.

5/14/2010 2:39:22 PM

Quote :

"Incidentally, the USSR was smart enough to send up their space shuttle unmanned."

For the one test flight they did before they canned the whole program because the USSR ceased to exist.

Personally I think someone should buy the used shuttle and turn it into a bitchin' theme restaurant.

5/14/2010 3:40:27 PM

Quote :

"For the one test flight they did before they canned the whole program because the USSR ceased to exist it was a waste of money that could not be justified."

You can call it trolling, but I speak the truth. Your momentous occasion is in my eyes a symptom of the impeding downfall of our nation.

5/14/2010 4:27:19 PM

Yes, they were smart enough to blow billions of dollars on a white elephant that was an almost exact copy of the american shuttle and then only use it for one launch before scrapping the entire program.

GG Russkies.

5/14/2010 4:34:49 PM

^ Don't feed the troll. If he is citing the Russian space program as an example of what we should do, then he obviously doesn't know his history.

[Edited on May 14, 2010 at 4:37 PM. Reason : ]

5/14/2010 4:37:22 PM

crap, i meant to go down there to watch a launch before the program ends

5/14/2010 4:40:37 PM

The program isn't over yet, you still have time.

5/14/2010 5:36:30 PM

when's the next one?

5/24/2010 8:23:25 AM

September I believe.

5/24/2010 10:42:36 AM

Cart before the horse. This one has to land without killing anyone first.

5/24/2010 10:47:11 AM

5/24/2010 11:49:56 AM

Wraith, do you have advice for people wanting to watch a launch? We are thinking of going down in Sept or Nov with a space-obsessed kid.

5/24/2010 6:50:44 PM

Well this is pretty damn cool.

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/05/eye_candy_timelapse_of_shuttle.php

[Edited on May 24, 2010 at 10:10 PM. Reason : EVIDENTLY NASA CAN'T BE TROUBLED TO GET THEIR GODDAMN EMBED CODE RIGHT]

5/24/2010 10:06:15 PM

I like how they dangle the orbiter 100s of feet above the rockets, and they still have like half the distance to the roof remaining. That building is clearly not being used for its intended purpose.

5/25/2010 12:20:00 AM

^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Building

5/25/2010 12:24:08 PM

.

[Edited on May 25, 2010 at 12:25 PM. Reason : .]

5/25/2010 12:24:08 PM

The building is the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and isn't just for the space shuttle. It was originally constructed during the Apollo days to house and build the Saturn V rocket which was considerably larger than the Space Shuttle. It was also intended to build/house any future rockets and launch vehicles which can be much larger than the shuttle. This includes Ares I and V (if they are ever built). The Ares I-X vehicle was built in there last year and was a lot taller than the shuttle. So when they "dangle" the orbiter it is because they want to maximize room for error. If you were playing basketball in a gigantic gym, would you play right up against the wall or would you play in a more centralized area where the likelihood of running into the wall is decreased?

As a size comparison, here is the space shuttle compared to the Saturn V and the intended Ares rockets:


As you can see, the other vehicles are roughly twice the size of the shuttle and need more space. Additionally, they do testing in the VAB that requires them to move the vehicles around quite a bit inside. So actually, the building is being used for it's intended purpose. Please get your facts straight if you are going to be criticizing things like that.


hollister, I'll get back to you in a bit about launch viewing stuff.

5/25/2010 12:28:44 PM

5/25/2010 12:54:08 PM

hollister, sorry it took so long to get back to you.

First of all, if you know what launch you wanna see, book a hotel as early as possible. ALL of the hotels get booked very early around a launch and if you wait until like two weeks before the launch the closest you'll be able to get one is in Daytona.

Whenever you figure out what launch you are going to, bump this thread. In the odd chance that I am down at KSC for work I [i]might/i] be able to get you as close as the VAB (~3 miles from the launch pad). Otherwise the closest that you'll be able to get without access to the actual NASA center is the causeway which is about 7 miles from the pad. To get to the causeway though, you'll have to purchase a causeway visitor pass about a month before the launch (these tickets are sold VERY quickly, usually within a few hours of being available). You could also get a visitor center ticket which is cheaper, but further away from the launchpad. Here is more info on ticketing:
http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-launch-viewing-tickets.aspx

If you aren't looking to spend too much money, you can just drive a little south of Cape Canaveral to Cocoa Beach and find one of the public beach areas. You can usually see the launchpad from most of public beach areas of Cocoa Beach so just as long as you have a radio or iPhone or something to monitor the countdown you'll be able to see the liftoff. It won't be as close as other parts, but you'll still be able to hear the rockets and see the sky light up (if it is at night). If you are close enough you'll be able to feel the ground shake.

You'll probably wanna bring a water bottle and a frisbee or a deck of cards or something. To get any decent viewing you'll have to get there a few hours early and if the launch is delayed, it can last anywhere from a few mins to a few hours. Even if it isn't delayed, all the roads of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral are gonna be packed after the launch and it will take a while to get anywhere.




Side note: Atlantis just landed safely at Kennedy!

[Edited on May 26, 2010 at 9:59 AM. Reason : ]

5/26/2010 9:58:36 AM

Thanks Wraith! We were originally planning a trip to Disney for the kid's birthday in November, but a shuttle launch is "way cooler" (as he would say) and if the launch doesn't work out, Disney's always an acceptable substitute. My biggest concern is occupying a 6-year-old during the wait - how much stuff is there to do at the different viewing areas?

If you could get us tix for VAB that would be amazing.

5/27/2010 7:08:05 PM

I spent some time in Kissimmee just south of Orlando.

You can still see every rocket they shoot off. It's pretty impressive considering the distance.

5/27/2010 8:02:39 PM

It wouldn't be so much as getting tickets but more so just taking you in with me through one of the employee entrances and telling the guards that you are my guests. Chances are slim though... I don't have any projects that would take me down to KSC in the foreseeable future so make sure you look into getting tickets for yourself. In terms of viewing sites, it depends on which one you pick. If you are at the visitor's center they have a rocket park with some mock ups of rockets and stuff to look at. I think they also have a small museum and gift shop. If you are going to the causeway or just finding a nice spot on the beach, you may wanna have the kid bring a gameboy or something.

You can actually see the shuttle launch from Disney World on a clear day, but it's pretty much a small speck with a bright streak behind it:



[Edited on May 28, 2010 at 9:29 AM. Reason : ]

5/28/2010 9:25:39 AM

Cool photo! Thanks so much for the info - will PM you when we get our travel plans and see if anything's changed.

5/28/2010 7:52:14 PM

^^Feel like wishing upon a star.

5/28/2010 9:46:36 PM

bttt

6/12/2010 10:09:25 PM

Since we had the first successful commercial launch into true space a couple weeks ago, we can now eliminate the wasteful department known as NASA. There's no reason to continue to divert badly needed public funds into manned spaceflight that provides no benefit to taxpayers. Nationalism is not a valid reason.

6/12/2010 11:05:09 PM

There is also need for your incessant stream of bullshit, but we put up with it anyway.

6/13/2010 3:55:23 AM

smc still on a troll roll.

6/13/2010 4:37:05 AM

I don't see why commercial operations can't replace much of their activities.

[Edited on June 13, 2010 at 11:17 AM. Reason : And at a much better price.]

6/13/2010 11:17:20 AM