Space program coming to an end

It's not the end of the Space program, they are just replacing the expensive space shuttles with cheaper rockets in the near future.

Here's hope Carmack develops the cool new rocket!!

i say bring on the space elevator !

Quote from Warby

i say bring on the space elevator !

you should read scalzis "old mans war"

This is worse than when they shut down Star Wars Galaxies!

Quote from Serenius

This is worse than when they shut down Star Wars Galaxies!

They should just legalize drugs and sell them at Wall-Mart. Then everybody can be a space traveller.

time to start the time travel program

Quote from Minotauro

It's not the end of the Space program, they are just replacing the expensive space shuttles with cheaper rockets in the near future.Here's hope Carmack develops the cool new rocket!!

what he said.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VASIMR

Quote

Other applications for VASIMR such as the rapid transportation of people to Mars would require a very high power, low mass energy source, such as a nuclear reactor (see nuclear electric rocket). NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that VASIMR technology could be the breakthrough technology that would reduce the travel time on a Mars mission from months to days

Anyone with a slight interest in NASA and space exploration should check this out: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/nasa.html It's one of the best series I have ever seen

Its a shame they went to the moon and then did fuck all after that

well what do you want them to do

it's pretty impressive to just go to the moon..

Quote from sarge mat

Its a shame they went to the moon and then did fuck all after that

What? They've put countless satellites into space, constructed a livable space station in orbit, sent a rover to Mars, collected tons of data on every known planet and moon in our solar system, and pioneered half the technology that ended up in consumer products that everyone uses on a daily basis. Birches up in here be crazy.

Hell, just recently they disproved global warming. Fuck all my ass.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/0 ... th_at.html

Lots of good photos there!

The politicians say "we are changing nasa's mission" and get rid of the shuttle, they say "we will replace it with rockets"...a step backwards. Then the next guy comes along and says "we change the mission again" Politicians make short term decisions in the name of long term missions and nasa can't keep up. The replacement vehicle was supposed to be ready already, that was the old justification, but of course it didn't happen. Everyone forgot. And then there is nasa's chief...a blowhard who kotows to washington. It is so sad that the ONLY pure, competent, non-corrupt part of our government keeps getting screwed. They say space is a low priority "what is there to do there?" but then they spend billions on the ATF which just overreaches it's authority. They spend billions on the Air Force which buys planes it never uses...these other government agencies just throw away money, NASA is the ONLY agency that has EVER accomplished it's mission, the only one that gets results every..single..day, the ONLY one that is very very competent. Hundreds of manned missions, hundreds of sattelites, new technologies, new knowledge...Maybe we don't NEED space exploration, but damnit, they are the only ones actually living up to their responsibilities.

Where are the inflatable space habitats? Where are the non-zero-g vehicles? Where is the moon base? Space shuttle was canceled to make way for other projects, those projects never came, so why cancel? They just keep lowering and lowering the expectations.

I wish I had gone to see a shuttle launch and now I never can

The shuttle was never going to go to past low-earth orbit, it did do some important work but the whole project (and the ISS especially) is just a big distraction and a step backwards. If it means the private sector takes over ferrying and cargo jobs while NASA can focus on sending people to Mars or asteroids then it's a good thing, I'm not sure that will happen though.

[Blocked Image: http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4280/nasa.png]

the only problem with space exploration is that it isn't 1950 anymore and we know there's nothing out there except certain death for anyone stupid enough to try.