Happy Birthday Space Shuttle!

[Admin]

Today, 29 years ago, Columbia marked the beginning of one of the most endaring and exciting humankind space endeavours: The STS program.

Since that day, the Space Shuttle performed 131 flights, lost two crews on STS-51L and STS-107, but brought back home safely 129, deployed the Hubble, the Chandra X-ray telescope and tens of other satellites, performed experiments in space, mapped Earth (the SRTM, STS99 mission) and last, but probably the most important and visible achievement, made the most significant contribution to building, supplying and supporting the International Space Station - the biggest man-made structure in Space.

Here is a small reminder from that momentous occasion. Here is a small reminder of why it makes us proud keeping the flame going for STS:

http://tinyurl.com/y96rw22

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPACE SHUTTLE!

/Admin

[Spaceguy5]

Happy Birthday! The Shuttle is certainly the most remarkable invention ever conceived. It's a shame that after its revolutionary design and 29 years of service, its being retired and we're going back to the old days of cone-shaped tin cans.

[USA~Driver]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPACE SHUTTLE!

Seconded.

[Cygnus]

I will never forget the 1st flight! I will be a little sad watching the last. Funny how one can fall in love with a machine, isn't it?

[Admin]

I will never forget the 1st flight! I will be a little sad watching the last. Funny how one can fall in love with a machine, isn't it?

It's not the machine - it's what it represents.

IMHO it represents the best in man (129 successful flights) and the worst (2 lost crews due to mismanagement).

It represents the passion and inquisitiveness of our species - the will to explore, discover and reach new worlds.

/Admin

[mccoy007]

Space Shuttle, thanks for your 29 exploration years.

[vinny002]

Happy 29th birthday, space shuttle!!

[Moonwalker]

For the Birthday I would like to post a few great Shuttle videos:

- STS-1 launch, media coverage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt6Bt1pZ4Is&feature=related

- STS-1 landing, media coverage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ3pqvHjFP8&feature=related

- an old STS-1 docu which I have seen on TV about 20 years ago for the first time, and luckily someone has uploaded it on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv-UtDBb0_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbU9qyewGKk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I28wytd-IhQ&feature=related

- a great tribute video (as the Shuttle likely may not survive the 30th anniversary in service):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phWtHUMPGR8

[Greggy_D]

Wow.....I just had tears in my eyes watching the ABC coverage of the launch linked above.  What a flood of memories.  I vividly remember watching that exact broadcast as a starry-eyed 10 year-old.  I also have an extreme feeling of dejection, 29 years later, of not fulfilling that 10 year-old's goal of becoming a NASA Astronaut.

Young and Crippen had absolute BALLS OF STEEL to fly the first untested, unflown powered flight of the shuttle.  I can't even imagine.

[Richard R]

Happy Birthday STS....

[Moonwalker]

Wow.....I just had tears in my eyes watching the ABC coverage of the launch linked above. What a flood of memories.

It was a great era, a different one than today. Beside young, there was still a lot of Apollo people working in the Launch Control Center and Mission Control Center back then

I also have an extreme feeling of dejection, 29 years later, of not fulfilling that 10 year-old's goal of becoming a NASA Astronaut.

Hey, we do have SSM2007 at least

Young and Crippen had absolute BALLS OF STEEL to fly the first untested, unflown powered flight of the shuttle.  I can't even imagine.

Yes. Especially Young is a real hero. His heart rate was 90 during lift off, Youngs was 130. I could imagine that mine would have even been something like 160 But Young always was a calm guy, and known for his dry sense of humor. At lift off of Apollo 16 Young even had a heart beat of only 70 (while Charles Duke for example had a heart beat of over 140). Young: "mine is too old to go any faster" 

Young has flown on Gemini, walked on the Moon while he got the message that the Space Shuttle vote has passed the house, and he tested the Space Shuttle. A real space flight hero.

Testing something manned would be impossible today. Everybody, especially the public, is crying for 99,9% safety. Or like Jim Lovell criticises these days: "we are afraid of having accidents".

The last Space Shuttle flight will be very emotional on all sides I guess, viewers and NASA people. Will be interesting to hear the final words from Mission Control and possibly a ceremony or something like that...

[desktopsimmer]

Here's a thought for you all, if the shuttle is to be retired this year (29  years old) why have they do They now a patch for 30 years?

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/ssp_patch_winners.html

[leeneed]

I was in the US Air Force and stationed in germany when first shuttle was
launched.  I was at Kapaun AS at our communications headquarters, and had to
obtain a communictions link for the shuttle (if I remember it was in Turkey).  spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get it established.  One of my buddies also had
to set up an emergency landing site with mobile communications.  Just a little bit
about first shuttle.  Have had a lot of fun with SSM 2007, great product.

[Admin]

I was in the US Air Force and stationed in germany when first shuttle was
launched.  I was at Kapaun AS at our communications headquarters, and had to
obtain a communictions link for the shuttle (if I remember it was in Turkey).  spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get it established.  One of my buddies also had
to set up an emergency landing site with mobile communications.  Just a little bit
about first shuttle.  Have had a lot of fun with SSM 2007, great product.

Thanks for sharing!

/Admin