[saganite]

It's eight year mission, to explore strange new worlds, to boldly go where no probe has gone before!

Sorry, couldn't resist. It's the geek in me.

[Slapshot68]

Westerners continue to explore the expanse of space...meanwhile, Muslims continue to sit in the dirt and perfect the science of the suicide belt.

[RightWhale]

The LIVE launch thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1902160/posts

1325 GMT (9:25 a.m. EDT)

“With the launch of Dawn, ULA is continuing to show its dedication to providing safe, cost-effective, reliable access to space for U.S. government missions,” said Mark Wilkins, vice president of Delta Programs at United Launch Alliance. “ULA has brought together the most talented professionals in the launch industry and we are honored to launch spacecraft, such as Dawn, supporting NASA’s critical national mission to explore the universe.”

---

The entire universe! but first, this here asteroid.

[Izzy Dunne]

the Atlantis Ocean splashdown zone

Interesting.

[cyborg]

Event Horizon

[DoughtyOne]

You know, it's not that I mind these probes.  I like seeing some of the data derived by the efforts, no doubt about it.  I must point out though, that it has been since the mid-70s, some thirty years ago since we have ACTUALLY (AS HUMAN BEINGS) gone where no man has gone before.  And in truth, it hasn't been since 1969 that we actually did, some 38 years ago.
It is with this in mind that I relate what my first reacion is every time I hear of another one of these missions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States.

I'm glad you all could be here this afternoon, or listen in by radio or television.  I would like to tell you about plans that I have developed to get us back to the moon and beyond.

Today I am initiating a process that will get us back to the moon by 1980, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2017...

Every time one of these probes takes off, it puts off the day when we'll finally get boots on a firm surface outside the confines of our planet or near earth space.  Enough already!

I actually expected to enter space myself at one point, even if only on a spacecraft, or perhaps to visit a space hotel, or maybe even a moon base.

Our space program is so lost in space, it doesn't even realize it's main purpose has been dumped so humans playing with remote controled toys can have their bundle of fun, while the rest of us give up our dreams.

We are standing at the edge of the frontier.  It's time to adventure out in our own covered wagon.  Thank God our forefathers didn't have electronics, or the people in Jersey would only have sand from the pacific coast, and some great pictures of redwood forests and other noteable points.  No Europeans would have stepped foot out here in the west yet, but man what great pictures they would have had, and of course some sand.  Can't forget the sand...

NASA, if you can't get your ass out of that comfy chair, turn out the F'n lights, close the door, put a padlock on it and lets start to spread the money around to someone who will build their covered wagon and venture out from behind their desk.

Yeah, I know.  We've got those wagons that go to Topeka a few times a year and return, but that doesn't cut it for people who really do want a space program for something other than glorified tinker toys to go where no glorified tinker toys have gone before.

Whiz or get of the pot.

Forward ho...

[Captain Beyond]

bump

[saganite]

ping

[jmcenanly]

Funny you should mention Star Trek. Previously our probes were designed either to fly by one or more bodies, or to orbit a single Body. Like the starships in Star Trek, Dawn enters into an orbit around a body, studies it, then breaks orbit to set course for another body.

[Joe Boucher]

Watched this Delta rocket take off this morning, jut after sun up and it was a beautiful launch.
Lots of rain lately so the sky was very clean and you could see this go for a very long time.

[steveo]

Rusty: Ya' got Asteroids?

Cousin Dale: Naw, but my dad does. Can't even sit on the toilet some days.

[mgstarr]

[ChadGore]

I watched the launch this morning. It was fantastic!