Fish, thanks, remarkable photos.

Here is a complete post from Plane Talking. I tried to just quote fragments - didn't work. Ben's post exactly mirrors my thoughts, so here is the whole thing.

The last Space Shuttle and some bitter thoughts.

"Amid the close local focus on airline affairs in Australia this week the last Space Shuttle has been launched into orbit, where it will dock at the International Space Station.

It is for this writer, a bitter moment, a moment when the US space program confronts the optimism with which, like so many, I saw the first satellites and their final stage rockets glide through the fields of stars, believing that in my lifetime the first manned interstellar missions might set forth, never mind see the establishment of bases on the moon, Mars and perhaps an asteroid.

The promises of space travel were first spoken for this writer at a time when the great ocean liners carried far more passengers than aeroplanes, and even in this country, it had been but a short time since Vickers Viscounts and Douglas DC6Bs could routinely fly over the Snowy Mountains between Sydney and Melbourne, rather than past them, as had been the then recent case with DC4 Skymasters.

As a 'half' American, the sorrow is somewhat deeper too. Transport systems are creations of social, economic and political change. They facilitate mobility, wealth, knowledge and experience, and from an airliner, or a space craft, no borders are visible.

But when a society retreats into itself, as I see happening in my experience of America, and I see starting to happen in these mean spirited times in Australia, then these simple dreams of younger days crumble and fade.

Transport in America is in disarray, whether by road, rail or air, and this is true of its innovations in space transport in particular, which are no longer considered useful to a society where the anti-science tendency actually translates into political power, where the country is insolvent, and an angry sense of denied entitlement and bewilderment seems to infuse many of those in its major parties.

There is some reason to be optimistic that the rise of privately funded space transport companies will nurture talent and innovation. But on a day when the last Shuttle has lifted off, those ventures seem like candles fluttering in the wind."

According to these two there is hope. Will the US lead or follow?

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer...amp;m=137681438

Nice cockpit vid of Atlantis from a couple years back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRMO88Xv_7A

John

Whilst waiting for Atlantis to head home, here is an oldie but goodie from 1982.

Rod sent me this...

Here's a nice 360 panorama view of   Discovery's flight deck

Move your mouse around to change the view.

Did anyone see the air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror?

Also, with all the high tech that goes into shuttle design, you'd think they'd give the astronauts something better to sit on. But what, after 10 min. or so they're weightless, so I guess it's not a big deal.

John

Thanks Steve. Pretty awesome.

Crew Prepares for Final Shuttle Landing

"Space shuttle Atlantis' wakeup song for landing day was "God Bless America" by Kate Smith, played at 9:29 p.m. EDT, for the entire crew and all the men and women who have worked for the shuttle program over the years. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim will begin deorbit preparations a little before 1 a.m. EDT for their planned landing at 5:56 a.m. at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida."

That's 2:56 WZ time.

The views this guys had in his life.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/08/parazynski.astronaut.everest/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

John

Home safely.

Somewhat of a coincidence that July 20th was the 42nd anniversary of the first humans landing on the moon.

Mission complete: Atlantis returns, ends shuttle era.

"This photo of the shuttle Atlantis' re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere was taken this morning from the International Space Station.
(Credit: NASA astronaut Michael Fossum)"



"Atlantis swoops to a tire-smoking touchdown this morning at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(Credit: Ben Cooper/Spaceflight Now)"

I love my cordless tools!

http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/transportation-science/ten-nasa-inventions.htm

John

Discovery is mummified and on the way to the Smithsonian. Article here.

This is her final flight.

From CNN.

Some more photos:

Plane Talking.

FlightBlogger.