October 14, 2012 - Endeavour

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

And only stopped to film a Toyota commercial.

I thought you were joking, but look at that Tundra in front!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by glatt

I thought you were joking, but look at that Tundra in front!

The transporting carrier is self-powered, doesn't need towing. I wonder how much Toyota paid to stage this publicity stunt.

I know I'm an old fart, and maybe a little too nostalgic, but I have a great deal of reverence for the space program. That said, I find this stunt offensive.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I know I'm an old fart, and maybe a little too nostalgic, but I have a great deal of reverence for the space program.

I hope you enjoyed it. Budget cuts will probably kill it.

[glatt]

When the shuttle flew over this region, it flew over my son's elementary school, and the kids spontaneously broke into a chant of USA..USA..USA.

When I heard that, I was both happy and sad. Happy that the kids were excited about something, but sad that they were chanting in pride of their country ending manned spaceflight.

SpaceX's Dragon makes me a little optimistic, but it just isn't the same.

[CzinZumerzet]

Years and years ago (I am quite elderly) I was one of the many thousands who lined the River Thames embankments to watch this lovely craft being flown home from the Paris Airshow. It was piggy-backing a jumbo I think and the pilots brough it as low and slow as they could and I do remember it being a truly emotional event.

When our Concordes were taken out of the air one of them flew across my town to reach the airfield where it began its amazing life. It's still parked at the end of the runway - rotting - falling apart.

So pleased to see this wonderful vehicle going home to get some respect.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

I hope you enjoyed it. Budget cuts will probably kill it.

Oh yes, I see it as past tense, that's why I said nostalgic. It was really cool and something to be proud of. I also think manned missions are done, as they are complicated and impractical for anything further away than the moon. We'd have to go to the Sun at night.

While the mars stuff is amazing technologically, I think we'd get better bang for the buck directing that scientific curiosity/resources at the Earth.

[CaliforniaMama]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I find this stunt offensive.

Really? Why? (Sorry if that sounds really dumb and I'm missing something that is supremely obvious. My husband loves that I am so totally naive when it comes to politics and strategy - unless it's a fight with him, of course.)

I've been wondering for a long time - what DOES the space program do now.

I know we can use the money at home, but I think we have a responsability to explore space as well, just as we do the oceans. We need to map it and understand just what we are looking at so we don't get blind-sided by something we didn't think to look for.

[Lamplighter]

What did the space program do ?
... innovation to solve a big, new problem
... turn the routine over to private enterprise
... squabble with bean-counters over costs

What does the space program do now ?
... look for a big new problem (Mars), rinse, repeat

[xoxoxoBruce]

Because it strikes me as, in order to film a commercial, toyota interrupting the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln.
It is a funeral procession, a funeral for the manned space program, which was one of the crowning achievements of the United States/science & technology/mankind, in the twentieth century.