Technical problems have delayed the last launch of the shuttle Endeavour at least 48 hours.
The countdown for Endeavour’s last launch has begun.
Funding for the final shuttle flight this summer is now assured.
Politicians go sightseeing: Obama will attend the last Endeavour launch; Rep. Giffords is also expected to attend.
Giffords makes sense, as her husband will be on the flight. Obama is merely taking another of his numerous breaks from work to get a last look at a program he helped kill.
Wayne Hale: Why Houston did not get a shuttle.
As I have been traveling for the past week, I have fallen behind in posting stories of interest. Two occurred in the past week that are of importance. Rather than give a long list of multiple links, here is a quick summary:
First, NASA administrator Charles Bolden yesterday announced the museum locations that will receive the retired shuttles. I find it very interesting that the Obama administration decided to snub Houston and flyover country for a California museum. In fact, all the shuttles seem to be going to strong Democratic strongholds. Does this suggest a bit of partisanship on this administration’s part? I don’t know. What I do know is that it illustrates again the politically tone-deaf nature of this administration, especially in choosing the fiftieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s spaceflight to make this sad announcement.
Second, the new budget deal (still pending) included NASA’s budget, with cuts. While requiring NASA to build a super-duper heavy-lift rocket (the program-formerly-called-Constellation) for less money and in less time than was previously allocated to Constellation, the budget also frees NASA from the rules requiring them to continue building Constellation. Since the Obama administration has no interest in building the super-duper heavy-lift rocket and has said it can’t be done, I expect they will use the elimination of this rule to slowdown work on the heavy-lift rocket. I expect that later budget negotiations will find this heavy-lift rocket an easy target for elimination, especially when it becomes obvious it is not going to get built.
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I am on the road today, so posting will be light. Though I have many things to say about today’s historic anniversary, fifty years after the first manned spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin, I simply won’t be able to post them. However, I plan to express some of my thoughts on the John Batchelor Show at 11:30 pm (Eastern time) tomorrow. Listen in live, or on his podcast posted shortly after the live show.
The ironies, however, are amazing, and quite depressing. On the same day we celebrate the start of manned space exploration, NASA administrator Charles Bolden will announce where the United States’s three retired shuttles will be put on display. Note also that he does this on the thirtieth anniversary of the first shuttle flight. It is almost as if the Obama administration’s desire to kill the American government space program is so strong that they have to rub salt in the wound as they do it.
I say this not so much because I am in favor of a big government space program (which I am not) but because the timing of this announcement once again illustrates how astonishingly tone-deaf the Obama administration continues to be about political matters.
The Daily Beast reports today that the last flight of the shuttle Endeavour has been delayed due to a schedule conflict with a Russian Progress freighter.
Note that this has not yet been confirmed by NASA.
Update from spaceref: NASA has rescheduled Endeavour’s launch for April 29.
More on the storms hitting Endeavour launchpad today.
Hail storm hits Endeavour on launchpad.
The disassembly and decommissioning of the space shuttle Discovery has started.
Very sad: A space shuttle worker has died from a Fall at the launchpad.
Discovery has landed safely, for the last time.
Discovery has undocked from ISS, for the last time.
NASA administrator Charles Bolden revealed at House hearings this week that NASA will announce the future museum homes for the retiring shuttles on April 12.
There is something terribly sad and ironic about having this announcement occur on the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight into space by Yuri Gagarin.
The Leonardo cargo module was permanently installed on ISS yesterday.
The Soyuz fly-around of the space station to photograph it with the shuttle docked has been canceled.
Take a gander at this spectacular image of the shuttle approaching ISS, taken by an amateur astronomer from the ground!
The beginning of the end: The shuttle Discovery docked successfully with the space station, its 13th and final visit to ISS.
So what the shuttle is being retired! Space tourism is poised to blast off in the next two years.
More station news: The shuttle Discovery has lifted off on its last mission.
Virtual meets reality: Watch Discovery’s launch today from your virtual yacht on your Playstation 3 game machine.
The final launch for the space shuttle Discovery has now been set for Thursday, February 24.
The robot arm on ISS shifted the Japanese freighter docked there to a different port today to clear a path for the shuttle.
The delay yesterday of the launch of the European cargo ship to ISS might also delay the next Shuttle launch.
Oy. A metal tool came apart last night and its scattered pieces fell on the shuttle Discovery. Fortunately, careful inspection of the orbiter has found no damage.
Mark Kelly, Congresswoman Giffords’ astronaut husband, has decided to fly his shuttle mission.
The contractor who manages the shutte program for NASA, United Space Alliance (USA), has proposed taking over two shuttles and flying them privately for NASA through 2017. Key quote:
USA’s current estimated price tag of $1.5 billion per year would represent a substantial drop from previous funding levels, which have seen shuttle program costs rise as high as $4 billion per year. United Space Alliance says its plan would take advantage of shuttle infrastructure and a workforce already in place. Some shuttle production lines would have to be restarted — for example, the operation that builds the shuttle’s external fuel tanks. But USA says the first commercial shuttle flights could take place in 2013. That would beat the 2016 deadline specified in last year’s legislation, as well as the development schedule laid out by SpaceX and USA’s other commercial competitors.
