24 years ago today!
 

Been 24 years since Challenger was lost and here is a speech that was done in remembrance of those who were lost.
YouTube - Ronald Reagan's remarks on the Challenger Shuttle explosion


Ally

Thanks for the reminder. I remember being in history class in H/S watching the launch on TV. Will never forget that day or the lives lost.

I remember the image, but not sure if it was actually during the moment as I was only 4yrs old at the time, or just from watching it on TV since.

I happened to turn on the tube moments after the explosion. In idle curiosity I assumed it was a satellite launch gone awry, until I realized the significance of the two solid boosters still flying. I remember it like it was yesterday.

coincidence?
 

It's also interesting to note that the Constellation program has been shelved ,so when you see the last shuttle launch in Sept. that will be it in terms of manned space flight for a long time .:(
Fred's going to film the last shuttle launch so that we have something to show the grandchildren later on .
I wonder sometimes if we as a race will ever take human travel beyond the moon.



Ally

I believe humans will fly beyond the moon and to other places like it is a flight across the ocean way beyond our life span and our childrens children. We have the technology to do it, its just a matter of time before we get the right combination of it together to travel beyond what we know. With new developments every year in terms of knowledge of space travel, what is needed what should be taken away will determine it all.

Its sad to think that we wont be around to see it. I am still in disbelief of the shuttles going to be sold off and the space program as we know it shelved. But dont be surprised if it is brought back! :)

Thank you for reminding me. I can't believe I let that date go past me.

Myself and other members of my family are dismayed by the news that the current administration appears to have no interest in exploration. The progress of mankind can be charted with man pushing the limits of our environment and knowledge. That is what those aboard the Challenger were seeking.

Contractors
 

I heard a news story that NASA is going to offer space flight to contractors. Perhaps if the government gets out of the way we can get space flight going in the right direction again?

SpaceWest could offer new hire astronaut positions at 18K per year. Six months on and three months off.

Skyhigh

One observer noted that in the future IF current plans are enacted, we will be using Russian, Chinese, Indian and European launches for our payloads.

I thought this is happening now. I thought US astronauts were training in Russia right now because the final pieces of the ISS are going to be taken on Russian rockets with a US crew.

Makes me wonder how we arrived at this point and why we as a nation have lost the inclination to get things done the way it was during the Apollo program.
I remember watching the movie 2001 one night with Fred and wondered if the human race would ever make that possible.



Ally

I don’t think this is all doom and gloom. We have always been looking back on the Apollo program as the golden age and have always wanted to see it happen again ever since the 70s. The truth is, that was a rare moment in human history where technological advances, politics, and patriotism all lined up. It is not something that can be sustained. Humans have always been pushing the bar, but it is not a continuous process; it comes in waves and peaks. Sometimes the bar stays where it is for decades or centuries, and then jumps forward unexpectedly.

The things that allowed the Apollo program to happen are no longer around. There is no cold war to give us a sense of urgency, there is no one exploration goal that the country can get excited about, no politician wants to attach themselves to a large budget, and our rocket technology has reached a plateau. Although we have made huge advances in computing power, that won’t get our spacecraft to go faster.

We are waiting for the next jump in rocket technology. Maybe we will look at nuclear rockets again or centuries from now develop antimatter engines. While we wait, we can still push the limits in other areas. Just because we are not doing something new doesn’t mean humankind has stagnated. We can develop cheaper and easier ways to launch satellites which will one day aid in another manned space mission in the future. Commercial space travel is still something to be impressed with. Sure, SpaceShip Two is not going any higher than NASA’s earlier efforts, but they will do it with much less money and much more frequently. I remember the day SpaceShip One was launched and I am sure I will look back on it as those who remember Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

Simple. We are becoming a smaller, more isolationist country that wants guarantees. I was at a seminar last year and two of the presenters, from the Apollo era, said that recent studies showed that the majority of students admitted cheating on exams and indeed, said they had not honestly answered questions on the questionaire about cheating. The other, a former astronaut, said we have become a very risk-AVERSE society whether talking about space or the battlefield. It has to have guarantees and any loss has to be immediately mitigated. I asked both, "So we cheat, we are risk averse and we want a guarantee of success... doesn't sound like a good recipe for the future." They glumly nodded and one said, "We could not today take on a project like the moon launch, lose a crew and continue. Public and political outrage would call it to a halt."

I was a junior at ERAU, (Daytona), and remember being in the parking lot just west of the UC. We were all looking up and saw the explosion. It was in between classes so there were quite a few people in the parking lot. Like a school of bait fish, everyone in the parking lot where I was standing, almost simultaneously ran for the UC. It was then that we had discovered what had happened.



atp

I do agree that the current generation lacks the ambition of the Apollo era, but I don’t think cost can be ignored.

Cost of Apollo program: $25 billion
Real GDP in 1969: $97 billion
Percent GDP cost of the Apollo program: 2.6%

Proposed cost of Orion program: $1.0 Trillion
Real GDP in 2009: $14 Trillion
Percent GDP cost of the Orion program: 7.1%

In the future, when the cost comes down and the population really wants it to happen, I am sure we will go beyond the moon.