Is anyone else excited over the Discovery Launch?

I lived for five years in Orlando. We could see the Shuttle launches from the end of our street. They were always impressive.

I live here in Utah and up North they make the rockets for lanching. I have seen them test those rockets and that is also impressive.

This is the first that I’ve heard of it. I thought that they’d discontinued the Shuttle program?

I had tickets to see it but had to come home because of the delay.

I watch from my front door.

I believe it is being delayed to stall for a few more days of pay for the people that are getting ready to be laid off.

Pretty Shitty to do it just before the holidays. But, I have to believe they will all get a decent severance package. Might not mean much (in the long run) but it is something.

I always wanted to see the Apollo rockets take off. Did not live in Florida then.
Now that we are going back to the 70’s way of space travel We will be able to see that soon.

I am depressed more than excited because this is the end of the shuttle program with no replacement for further manned expeditions. It is nice that robots can explore other planets and celestial bodies but that is no substitute for the excitement and sense of accomplishments created by manned programs.

I can’t believe that we don’t have colonies on the moon and on Mars. We have wasted our capital and the dreams of our children on useless wars instead of exploration and science. Now with the Republican wins, public and higher education for the masses will become poorer and educational standards will diminish to the point that further science and exploration will become the exclusive property of the wealthy and those educated outside of this country.

We lost technology, space, and progress so that the richest of us can bask in their wealth and power. I predict that Cuba will eventually have a better space program than the future United States.

I’m English…I know, that obvious eh? I remember all the lessons at school were stopped so we could watch the shuttle launch on tv. I think it was Columbia, although I might be wrong. So yeah, i’ll be watching. Brings back happy memories.

“I can’t believe that we don’t have colonies on the moon and on Mars”

Me too. It is so romantic an idea. But the fact is… Man can’t live in space.
It is way WAY expensive and endeavor to do so.

I don’t particularly care. I’m not sure how putting a live human in space enhances the mission. I’m not sure what the mission is. I think people are letting science fiction determine the mission instead of science.

@ChazMaz I know that it is romantic but Matt Browne wrote a book in which establishing colonies on other planets was a way to continue the existence of the human race.

I suspect that (given the results of the current U.S. and European elections) that the earth will be soon used up and a population crash is inevitable. True colonies will be, initially, expensive but I suspect that the pressures of survival will force them to learn how to act independently and even profitably.

I am now

I’m sad that the NASA manned space program is essentially going on hiatus. We can’t even afford 1% of our budget for science and exploration? Yes, that’s all that NASA costs to the National budget. I hope they will be able to regroup and make the leap in technology that they talk about.

Here is one technology they are working on:
http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/nasa-bets-on-air-breathing-rockets-but-what-are-they/5623/

I was at the space centre in 2008, actually steped in a shuttle. I was there in march before the shuttle was to go up in a month or so. I watched the moon walk- we were let out of school for that.

Delayed until the 30th.