Endeavour

[jawillroy]

I've been really geeking out and enjoying the daily mission recaps NASA's been posting.

They seem to be having fun up there. Makes me wish I'd done hard sciences and maths in college instead of history, if only to have the slightest shot at being there. O well, Traveller will have to do for the likes of me...

Shuttle had a good run, but I'll be sorry to see it go.

 

[saundby]

It has been a fun mission to follow. Mike Fincke has over 48 hours outside the airlock now. Makes him #5 or #6, I believe, in time outside. Seeing the OBSS get a new life has been interesting, too. AMS finally cranking away. When the data from that starts coming in, it'll be like Kepler--breaking totally new ground.

Much as I've hated the damned machines, I'll be sorry to see them go, too. The new approach to flight management has made them into something very different than when they were "operational" craft. Safety has been paramount. For such a cranky, awkward system, they've made them really perform.

The new generation of vehicles and craft to launch on them is coming along quite quickly. Still, it'll be a long, long time before some of the Shuttle's operational records are matched or beaten. But the changes are likely to put manned spaceflight on a very different footing than it has had up till now. Hopefully a footing that's economically viable for a wider range of pursuits than we've had so far.

I'm looking forward to seeing Endeavour down at her new home in L.A.