It is still scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 8th July, but the current weather forecast gives it only a 40% chance of liftoff. If it is aborted Sunday looks like the most likely time to go.

I am hearing that the remaining shuttles have maybe 5 years life left in them and that the real reason that the programme has been shut down is simple cost cutting and penny pinching by the Obama administration. It is a sad ending to President Kennedys memory and promise, to put man into space.

Although to be fair I understand that the ISS lifetime is being extended from 2015 to 2020. But how much will that cost the USA? I've seen costings of $30M per astronaut to get them up there by the Russians. Might not it have been cheaper to just carry on?

Who cares about going to the asteroids, no-one. We should be setting up moon bases NOW, not prattling on about Mars in 2030.

I wonder what they have to replace the shuttle...

---

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible". Hebrews 11.3

Unfortunately, at this time, the only thing the US has that is close to being a replacement is the Air Force's X-37B which is not man rated. I think that NASA needws to consider two vehicles. One for LEO missions which could be a scale up of the X-37B or a scaled down space shuttle intended to carry 3 or 4 astronauts to the space station and perform other LEO tasks. The other would be designed for missions to the moon and beyond along the lines of the cancelled Orion space ship.

I truly doubt now that the USA will get another manned space vehicle in operation during my lifetime. We have dropped the ball and it is deflating fast.

---

Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

http://360vr.com/2011/06/22-discovery-flight-deck-opf_6236/index.html

My friend sent this link in an email... Wanna take a ride?

---

I do not fight fascists because I think I can win.
I fight them because they are fascists.
Chris Hedges

A riot is the language of the unheard. -Martin Luther King, Jr.