** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

All still go for launch at just after 12, weather is all go atom.

But do have opticians :(, so will miss last 2 and a bit hours of flight.
 
While it's good to see investment in spaceflight this looks to me like we are going backwards. It just looks like a updated version of the Apollo capsules. Is anything reusable on it? What we should have had is a replacement for the shuttle. Just look at the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's sci-fi shows and see where they thought we would be by now. I know space projects are expensive but we haven't had a human leave earth orbit or stand on the moon since the 70's.
 
pastymuncher said:
It just looks like a updated version of the Apollo capsules
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The Russians have kind of proven that reinventing the space wheel is an expensive and wasteful process. The Shuttle was great in many ways, but it proved to be a very expensive (in more ways than one) way to get people into orbit.

Those of us lucky (and creaky!) enough to remember Saturn V launches will probably share my delight at seeing a rocket-shaped rocket back on the launchpad. :-)

PS Broadband is a wonderful thing. I'm watching two streams at once with different viewpoints. Fingers crossed this all goes well. NASA has way too many critics among US taxpayers, and I'd hate to see them given more ammunition even though rational folk know there are few guarantees in this game.
 
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pastymuncher said:
While it's good to see investment in spaceflight this looks to me like we are going backwards. It just looks like a updated version of the Apollo capsules. Is anything reusable on it? What we should have had is a replacement for the shuttle. Just look at the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's sci-fi shows and see where they thought we would be by now. I know space projects are expensive but we haven't had a human leave earth orbit or stand on the moon since the 70's.
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Point missed, capsules are much safer, the space shuttle was idiotic idea, rediculously unsafe, 2 of them were destroyed, the 70's were peak space tech, nothing has yet to beat the Saturn V - the fact were going to something like it again is PROGRESS, trust me!
 
pastymuncher said:
While it's good to see investment in spaceflight this looks to me like we are going backwards. It just looks like a updated version of the Apollo capsules. Is anything reusable on it? What we should have had is a replacement for the shuttle. Just look at the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's sci-fi shows and see where they thought we would be by now. I know space projects are expensive but we haven't had a human leave earth orbit or stand on the moon since the 70's.
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Shuttle was rubbish, it was compromise on compromise, unsafe and stupidly, insanely expensive. It's reusability was a joke and not based on reality.
However SLS is still rubbish, still compromised and still expensive.

But that's due to nasa having to build what congress want, rather than what's best for nasa.

As for re usability, you'll need to look at spaceX who are free to do what they want, unencumbered by congress.
 
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pastymuncher said:
While it's good to see investment in spaceflight this looks to me like we are going backwards. It just looks like a updated version of the Apollo capsules. Is anything reusable on it? What we should have had is a replacement for the shuttle. Just look at the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's sci-fi shows and see where they thought we would be by now. I know space projects are expensive but we haven't had a human leave earth orbit or stand on the moon since the 70's.
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Have a read up on the NASA website about the Orion project - this is definite progress! :)
 
Andrew_McP said:
PS Broadband is a wonderful thing. I'm watching two streams at once with different viewpoints. Fingers crossed this all goes well. NASA has way too many critics among US taxpayers, and I'd hate to see them given more ammunition even though rational folk know there are few guarantees in this game.
Click to expand...

Where is the other viewpoint stream? :D
 
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