Live Thread - Endeavour's Final Landing (2:35 a.m. EDT)

[Dave346]

Deorbit burn scheduled for 1:29am (weather permitting).

Landing at Kennedy Space Center scheduled for 2:35am.

[21twelve]

Here’s a nice video with NASA images and video with the rock song “Countdown” by the band RUSH. They were invited to watch one of the early shuttle launches. A portion of this song was played for Endeavor as a wake up call this last trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vPrrnb6tw

“....This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams.....”

I love that line.

[21twelve]

Looking at your homepage - nice images of the nose art! Rush also did a song about the Manhatten Project and the Enola Gay! (My last link - I promise, as you might on the older side of RUSH being your type of music!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4zP7l2NFKs&feature=related

A great song that is not about the war really, but about the great science and great men and how the bomb changed everything. Neat video someone did with old images, etc. Of course the comments all become anti-war - but the song isn’t.

“Imagine a man, when it all began,
the pilot of Enola Gay,
flying over the shockwave on that August day.
All the powers that be, and the course of History,
would be changed for ever more.”

[Talisker]

A portion of this song was played for Endeavor as a wake up call this last trip.

Sweet, thanks.

[Talisker]

It is the end of an era that should never end.

[Always Independent]

We are in the era of obama, the destroyer of nations.

[Talisker]

We are in the era of obama, the destroyer of nations.

In his dreams.

[Talisker]

This was a special treat. Thanks for sharing it!

[21twelve]

I read the story on Bockscar you linked to - thanks! I knew it dropped the 2nd bomb - but not much else. When the pilot got yelled at, I am guessing that it was because he delayed, hence missing the primary target? But I wonder how much critical information was gained because he DID wait for the other observation plane?

I suppose he might have been yelled at for missing the Nagasaki target by a lot. And - call me a bleeding heart, but I wonder if it was Providence that the bomb was not directly over the center of the city - sparing 60% of the city. Yet it still served the purpose of ending the war.

[brityank]

Bookmark bump.

[Biggirl]

THANK-YOU and Godspeed to Endeavour and its crew.

[NCC-1701]

I'm late to this thread but I am thrilled Endeavour landed safely. She has done this country good by her service to NASA. She was/is a great ship and all those that flew aboard her should be proud of her.

Atlantis will wrap up the Shuttle program next month. She will carry a four person crew, the smallest since STS-6 Challenger in April of 1983. All shuttle veterans and one that served three and a half months aboard ISS. On the surface, STS-135 might not look like much of a flight. But, as astronauts have said, there ARE NO lousy flights.

Thank you Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105), May 7, 1992 - June 1, 2011

[PreciousLiberty]

This is actually not correct, there is a new spacecraft called the “Falcon”. The nine engine variant (Falcon 9) will boost 50 metric tons to low Earth orbit, and a manned capsule (Dragon) is also being developed. It will be the largest rocket since Apollo and uses the same kerosene/LOX fuel.

This is all being done, with NASA’s blessing, by SpaceX. It is providing commercial launch services at the lowest cost per pound to orbit ever. I’m happy to see private enterprise start to take the lead in space flight.

There will be a couple year gap between the Shuttle retiring and Dragon being certified for manned flight.

[Biggirl]

I remember hearing something of the likes last year on “Coast To Coast AM” about private business getting into space.

But until then, America will have to depend on for some time, like it or not on the Russians for space flight. This bothers me, oh well.

[Liberty Valance]

Thanks for the thread. Tried to stay up for the landing last night but zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Watching the replay at NASA TV now.