A end of a era....

I remember the first shuttle launch when I was in jr high back in 1981 and going into the school library to watch it, and how excited everyone was. It was like the Apollo missions all over again. After the shuttle was up and into the atmosphere the tv cameras were panning onto the the trail of smoke the shuttle left behind and into the sky and a friend said " wow...stairway to heaven". Everyone just smiled.
My, how the world has changed since.
53 secs till lift off.
Godspeed to the Atlantis crew.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2011 03:35PM by Aaron.

Yes, it is sad. And I will leave politics out of my comment.

Hope and Change.

It's not over yet.......it just looks that way at times....

They said on the nightly news this evening 4,000 folks at NASA will be getting pink slips. Gotta just love Obama
Tom, does this affect you?

Yes......it does look like I will lose my life-long career. And it does look like: no more manned space program for this country. Many facilities at Kennedy Space Center have been demolitioned beyond the point-of-no-return. In the last 17-months....we have lost (via lay-off) approx 51% of Kennedy Space Center employees. Space Shuttle Atlantis lands in 11 days. Then......48-hours later........nearly all of the rest of Kennedy Space Center folks will encur lay-off. Hard to see/witness scientists, physicists, technicians, mathematicians, medical doctors etc....... being handed pink-slips. This current presidential administration (and the bulk of the Nation) does not see 'value' in the technological advancement of humankind via space..... which is the apotheosis of our existence. It appears that we choose cancel this 'space program'......save the money.......and give it to other Nations.... to help them................when................in reality................it is THIS advancement of humankind (via exploration & space technologies) that ALWAYS helps other Nations......much more so..... than monies.

The reality of widespread layoffs has fueled a widely-held feeling of abandonment, if not betrayal, by the national's leadership among the dwindling shuttle work force. Launch Director Mike Leinbach summed up the feelings of many in comments to his team after a recent launch simulation.

"What I'm about to say would not be appropriate on launch day and this is our last chance to talk together," he said in a recording obtained by CBS News. "You know, the end of the shuttle program is a tough thing to swallow and we're all victims of poor policy out of Washington DC, both at the NASA level and the executive branch of the government. It affects all of us, it affects most of you severely. I'm embarrassed we don't have better guidance out of Washington DC.

"Throughout the history of the manned spaceflight program, we've always had another program to transition into -- from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, Apollo Soyuz Test Program to Skylab, and then to shuttle -- we always had something to transition into. And we had that (with Constellation) and it got canceled and now we don't have anything, and I'm embarrassed that we don't.

"As a senior NASA manager I would like to apologize to you all that we don't have that. So. There you are. I love you all, I wish you all the best, we will press on through this flow and this launch in the way we always do, we're going to play this game to the final out and then we'll be done. I just wish you all the best. Godspeed to you all."

[spaceflightnow.com]

Lipservice - A personal note. I am honored to say that Mike Leinbach is a friend. He and I "rode" console in the Launch Control Center Firing Room for many years together, side by side, our consoles next to each other. 1st shift, 2nd shift, 3rd shift, weekends, holidays...you get to know a person pretty well. He was the NTD (NASA Test Director) and I was an OTC (Orbiter Test Conductor). Mike is one fine man...dedicated......sincere...and humble. You could not find a nicer individual and besides that...he knows his "stuff" inside and out. Astronauts trust their lives to him during countdown. You want a pressure cooker? Try being in the Firing Room during terminal countdown as lives are sitting atop what is about to be a controlled explosion to orbit. Mike oversees, manages. and orchestrates the entire ordeal and makes it look easy...believe me...IT ISN"T! His words came from his heart, an no one should be surprised by that.

And FloridaBob was in the exact same position/title a few short years prior to Mike Leinbach.............that being: United States/NASA Launch Director.

When the true leaders of this country: mourn................................................................(....................).

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
This
> current presidential administration (and the bulk
> of the Nation) does not see 'value' in the
> technological advancement of humankind via
> space..... which is the apotheosis of our
> existence. It appears that we choose cancel this
> 'space program'......save the money.......and give
> it to other Nations.... to help
> them................when................in
> reality................it is THIS advancement of
> humankind (via exploration & space technologies)
> that ALWAYS helps other Nations......much more
> so..... than monies.

Agreed, this is what we get when News Agencies, special interests groups and in general...liberals ruling the Country.
Foolish leaders that not only will gut Nasa but plunge our whole Country in darkness.
There I go again being optimistic....people better wake up before it is too late.
These so called leaders believe in "redistributing" our wealth to the rest of the world.

Personally though I would like to see another Saturn V launch....doesn't look like that will ever happen now......
I suppose this would really cause "global warming" to esculate.

Bob & Tom.
I truly feel bad for you and your fellow NASA colleagues...I can't imagine the pride/joy/accomplishent you must have taken in having such careers. Being some of the most brilliant people in the world (and rocket scientists), I'm sure you won't let this keep you two down.
Sincerely,
Aaron



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2011 01:48PM by Aaron.

To remove 'exploration' out of our blood is akin to; no more exploring/discovery with a metal detector. I could (almost) care less about losing my life-long career (((if it happens))). What I REALLY care about is:

WHAT IS THE DIRECTION OF THIS NATION.

Thank you Aaron for your thoughts. Tom and I have some unforgettable memories from our days at KSC. No matter what the future holds, we at least have those to cherish forever.

"When I became the NASA Administrator — before I became the NASA Administrator — [Obama] charged me with three things: One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: [washingtonexaminer.com]

As I stated in another thread....

I remember growing up in school.... "Study hard and you can go into space-be president etc..."

Now that mantra will have to be... "Study hard and one day you can move to another country and help them with their space program".

So sad when we cut a program that has tremendous return on investment. It is (was) the backbone of our country.
What's happening to our backbone now???

Ross Perot's "giant sucking sound" is hitting the goverment employees now. I have no pity.
For years all of us in the real world that have to make a living have been losing our jobs, lower pay, ect.
HusabergChuck

Beyond crazy. We fought Muslims after Thomas Jefferson became President. Before that we paid them millions of dollars not to pirate our ships and enslave Americans. Jefferson put a end to that at Tripoli by sending Marines on our best war ships to the Barbary Coast.
Muslims have not changed their way of thinking about non-Muslims? Not on your life and neither has Barack Hussein Obama. How the !!!!HELL!!!!! is this happening to our America?? We are being deluded beyond belief.

Barry Soetoro- look it up. No news journalist will. Our country is on the fast track to the roman empire. Their sins were race-mixing, homosexuals, endless sporting events & their armys were all over the world. At the end no real romans ran the country, just as barry soetoro isn't a real American. Sounds like the land we live in doesn't it?
husabergchuck

husabergchuck,

I'd like to make one correction to your observation in which you stated:

"Ross Perot's "giant sucking sound" is hitting the goverment employees now. I have no pity.
For years all of us in the real world that have to make a living have been losing our jobs, lower pay, ect. "

Fact: NOT ONE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE is losing their job at NASA. They are civil servants. They are NOT laid off. They are not receiving pay decreases. They are NOT losing benefits. They are not losing retirement. They are government workers and they DO NOT suffer any ill effects or consequences due to the loss of the Shuttle Program.

FACT: The contractors (those of us in your "real world") are the ones losing our jobs....by the thousands across this land.

I'll be happy to debate facts with you anytime that you like.

I still find it hard to believe that by a majority vote, he was elected.....a nobody, most liberal demo. junior member.
Yet the new media pumped him up.....don't ever underestimate the power of the news media.....
I have to ask myself....are the majority of Americans this gullible?....Evidently so.

Floridabob, At the top of the post lipservice and nasa tom stated 4000 folks at nasa will get pink slips.
So what facts are you stating?
It's the goverment that is laying them off.
husabergchuck

Chuck,

let me help those who don't understand government contracting. In the case of the Space Shuttle program, NASA is the "customer" and contracts with suppliers, vendors and service providers, thousands of folks, to do the day to day shuttle processing , test and launch/recovery. NASA therefore sits in what we call a "Program Management" role and in the role they "oversee" the efforts of the providers as listed above. Now here is my same fact as stated above. NO NASA Civil Servant (a government employee) is being terminated. The suppliers and vendors are.

Lipservice stated that he "heard on the evening news that NASA....". I believe the words he heard were exactly correct. However the "words" are not true in their meaning. The evening news failed to provide any qualification to what they meant. If they were capable journalist they would have stated the facts as I did and qualified what they meant...they didn't..are we surprised? Hope this clears it up for you.

ozzie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Beyond crazy. We fought Muslims after Thomas
> Jefferson became President. Before that we paid
> them millions of dollars not to pirate our ships
> and enslave Americans. Jefferson put a end to that
> at Tripoli by sending Marines on our best war
> ships to the Barbary Coast.
> Muslims have not changed their way of thinking
> about non-Muslims? Not on your life and neither
> has Barack Hussein Obama. How the !!!!HELL!!!!!
> is this happening to our America?? We are being
> deluded beyond belief.

it is happening because no one who is ''decent" wants the job!
that's why! the rest is easily understood! public has a very "short" memory!
just sayin'


(h.h.!)
j.t.

Tough to watch this one....

[www.youtube.com]

How ironic that the shuttle crew has to have a forced smile conversation with the same clown who is responsible for the demise of jobs and company. The guys are true professionals.
I bet that was the toughest part of the whole mission.

You could not have had a more 'cold' response back to Hussain Obama..................if that was to even be considered a 'response'.

Surreal.

Sobering.

if we recalled all our "proud" fighting men from the crap holes,
then the money would be available to keep this most worthwhile endeavor
going!.even this "proud" nation has it's limitations!..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Not really.

The "money" has been long gone.

Priorities here is the key word.

yes! priorities like protecting our borders,and minding our own damn business!
secure the borders!..keep 'em out of here,and find a ''solution" to this economic morass
we are in. float more money for cancer research,heart disease research,and other infectious diseases
that are the scourge of mankind!.definitely! priorities!..i agree!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

For the medical Doctors that 'have been'/'currently' on the International Space Station............with all of their work/efforts/discoveries; it would be nice if their discoveries/inventions were MUCH more "publicized".................so as to "educate" the general public in the realization of the criticality of space program(s) and micro-gravity.