[Kaslin]

I remember when one of the Space shuttles had to land at Ft Campbell, Ky because of the weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center. I did not go see the space shuttle because it did not interest me.

I wished now I had gone and seen it

[Bryan24]

I assume you mean a space shuttle piggy-backed on a 747 landed at Fort Campbell?

[Olog-hai]

Just another correction: The Blackbird on Intrepid is an A-12 rather than an SR-71.

[FedsRStealingOurCountryFromUs]

It could never do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_MjTjEXi7I

[Figment]

Wow, that was really far north for a shuttle return flight. I saw it numerous times in Houston coming in on the 747. It was something to behold

[the invisib1e hand]

Great transcript. How is it that Rush consistently brings out the salient points of such an event?

***

Guess they won't be hearing those double-sonic booms over central Florida anymore...

[Sparky1776]

The Enterprise @ Hill AFB, Utah, 1980.

[Yosemitest]

Every time I see or hear of the Space Shuttle, it makes my blood boil, that we have this ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN CHIEF, that has destroyed NASA.
And what did our "Establishment Republicans" do to stop him? Not a damned thing!
May Obama burn in HELL!!!

[cripplecreek]

The Shuttles served us well but I think we became over reliant on them. I think we should have kept using the Saturn V for at least some of the missions. If nothing else, continuing to use the Saturn series would have kept us closer to the direction we’re heading now with expendables.

I wonder if anyone ever considered leaving a shuttle at the space station as a lifeboat?

[norton]

July 4th.
Edwards AFB.
My folks, girlfriend, and I sleeping between cars and cooking eggs on my Coleman.
Totally clear skys.
Shuttle landing (Columbia?) about 9AM.
Brief on-site speech by Ronald Reagan!
747 take off with shuttle on its back (Challenger?)about 11AM.
The longest and dustiest hour or four I've ever spent to get out of the camping/observation area.
Crappy quality Tee-shirt that I still have and won't wear for fear it'll rip or disintegrate.

Basically a 16 hour (plus infil/exfil) sober party with several thousand patriotic, happy, dirty, dedicated, Americans.

Not like it was one of my life's major highlights or anything.

Notes: That 747 might be hard to fly, but they circled and banked plenty good enough to let us see the shuttle in full silhouette - after the longest takeoff run I've ever seen or imagined.
From the ground the shuttle landings were simply spectacular, that thing was dropping altitude and speed like you can't imagine unless you've seen it. I think we saw the shuttle from every angle possible just during descent.
I don't remember what the President said but everyone there felt it and cheered their throats out.

And; underneath the talcum powder fine (caliche?) dust of the dry lake you're basically looking at the crust of the earth.

[NonValueAdded]

I did not know that about Wally Schirra. Good for him! Rest In Peace, Gus; ad astra.

[June2]

STS-117 (Atlantis) landed at Edwards June, 22 2007. Overnighted at Ft. Campbell on her ferry flight back to KSC. I would post a picture from then but I would surely screw it up (not computer savy at all).

The Space Shuttles are truly amazing and a sight to behold.

[Young Werther]

At Roll Out! The Enterprise crew was there at Trekkie request.

[DoughtyOne]

There was a time when I was pleased to hear the words, Space Shuttle. These days those two words remind me that with thirty years to formulate something better, our government did nothing. They gave away something like $15-20 trillion dollars in welfare during that time, but... “NO SPACE PROGRAM FOR YOU!”

I’m not saying we had to develop something with 100% government funds either. Some space focused contests giving out perhaps $100 billion over that period in time, would have sparked a new space boom.

$100 billion vs $15-50 trillion... Guess that was just too much to ask.

“Space Shuttle”, there! Now thrust upward and twist...

[Nowhere Man]

Heard this on the radio during my deliveries today. I loved it. BTW, my uncle worked at NASA from Project Mercury to the Space Shuttle He passed in 2008. I'm sure he'd be saddened at this. He always thought the Shuttle was the wrong fork in the road to take but he did his work and beamed with pride when it went up into space. He worked on the electronics in the cockpit of the Shuttle as well as in the earlier space capsules.

He also remembered working the first launch of the Saturn V, Apollo 4, November 9th, 1967. My grandfather passed away in Jacksonville the same day and until my father could get down there, my uncle and aunt had to take care of things. I think she had to start the funeral process because my uncle could not get away to handle things since we was needed at that launch.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.