[saganite]

The Space Shuttle was a bad idea from day one. I honestly don’t know why anyone mourns its retirement. It opens the way for private companies to move into space and reduce the cost of getting to orbit. I say good riddance.

[hal ogen]

The main problem with retiring the shuttle program and developing private space projects seems to nbe keeping NASA as some wacky sort of moozlum science outreach...and we all know how into science the moozlum culture is.

[Jim Noble]

The Space Shuttle was a bad idea from day one

Actually, it was a good idea, but so badly executed that it never should have been allowed to fly.

Another gift from the Nixon Administration.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The Space Shuttle was a bad idea from day one. I honestly don’t know why anyone mourns its retirement. It opens the way for private companies to move into space and reduce the cost of getting to orbit. I say good riddance.

It opens up nothing. It closes doors. Obama used "commercial" to gut exploration and U.S. power (as in Elon Musk's SpaceX -- Musk also has an elec car company and a solar panel company -- all get government funding -- and Musk repays with Obama campaign money and an inaugural ball). Plain and simple.

If you don't understand that, you can't see the forest for the trees.

[oh8eleven]

The Space Shuttle was a bad idea from day one.
I almost agree, but I'd give it a few more years, let's say ten.
Then I'd ask the question, "It's been going up and down for a decade, we've spent billions and billions, lost seven lives and what do we the taxpayer have to show for it?"
The answer at year ten is NADA, and the same answer is true today. A thirty year program that essentially did nothing but waste money.

[ml/nj]

Wow! Someone else who actually hasn't fallen for NASA's BS.

ML/NJ