If you're my age, (early fifties +/-) SpaceTravel was pretty cool! We all remember the Apollo launchs, The Lunar Moon Landing. I'm too young to remember John Glenn's famous launch into space ,but I do remember his historical ride on a space shuttle.
4.12.81, Thirty years ago today, the United States launched it's first ,Space Shuttle. this was a new form of space travel where as the Spacecraft itself was propelled into space by two solid rocket boosters and instead of falling into an ocean upon re-entry of the earths atmosphere, it would land on a runway just like an airplane, thus making the Shuttle a re-usable space vehicle.
Now, sadly, thirty years after it's arrival, the four remaining Space Shuttles will be taken out of service and will put on display for up close and personal viewing by museum visitors
The Discovery, will beon display athe the Smithsonian, The Endeavour will be on display at the California Science Center, The Atlantis will be on display Kennedy Visitor Ccomplex and the Enterprise, which was used for early glide tests, but was never put into orbit, will be on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museun in Manhattan.
Sadly, Columbia and Challanger were lost in space disasters. Columbia was lost in January1986 roughly 20 seconds into flight, after o-rings in one of the fuel tanks were determined defective.
The Challenger was lost in 2003, it exploded upon re-entry, due to missing heat shields.
Tragically, the crew from both Orbitors perished in the disasters. Godspeed to both crews.
It seems as soon as the Atlantis takes it's final journey in June, America's Space Program will be put in mothballs indefinately, at least our flying program.
We will send astronaughts to the space station by renting rides forom the Russians. Who would have dreamed back in the late 50's to the early 60's when were racing the Russians into space, now we are using them for a taxi service
Yours in Liberty !
Bob Yeager.
4.12.81, Thirty years ago today, the United States launched it's first ,Space Shuttle. this was a new form of space travel where as the Spacecraft itself was propelled into space by two solid rocket boosters and instead of falling into an ocean upon re-entry of the earths atmosphere, it would land on a runway just like an airplane, thus making the Shuttle a re-usable space vehicle.
Now, sadly, thirty years after it's arrival, the four remaining Space Shuttles will be taken out of service and will put on display for up close and personal viewing by museum visitors
The Discovery, will beon display athe the Smithsonian, The Endeavour will be on display at the California Science Center, The Atlantis will be on display Kennedy Visitor Ccomplex and the Enterprise, which was used for early glide tests, but was never put into orbit, will be on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museun in Manhattan.
Sadly, Columbia and Challanger were lost in space disasters. Columbia was lost in January1986 roughly 20 seconds into flight, after o-rings in one of the fuel tanks were determined defective.
The Challenger was lost in 2003, it exploded upon re-entry, due to missing heat shields.
Tragically, the crew from both Orbitors perished in the disasters. Godspeed to both crews.
It seems as soon as the Atlantis takes it's final journey in June, America's Space Program will be put in mothballs indefinately, at least our flying program.
We will send astronaughts to the space station by renting rides forom the Russians. Who would have dreamed back in the late 50's to the early 60's when were racing the Russians into space, now we are using them for a taxi service
Yours in Liberty !
Bob Yeager.
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