Space Shuttle Era About to End
March 7th 2011 00:10
Category: Space Probes
Endeavour Shuttle Launch: NASA image
With the close of Discovery’s last flight the space shuttle fleet will be de- commissioned after 30 years of service. It is expected that the remaining space shuttles will be mothballed and some will be on display is museums. A shuttle successor with a planned replacement date of 2012.
Airline passengers were recently treated to see a rare glimpse of the last discovery launch.
On a flight from Orlando saw the white plume rise in a delicate arch towards the heavens.
What’s Next
NASA is betting the next generation of space planes will be operational soon.
The Air Force is hoping to launch its X-37B space plane aboard an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral.
Although the latest setback was the recent rocket failure of the $424 million Taurus XL.
The first X-37B test flight was launched last April 2010. The X-37B flew unmanned and 224 days later, and landed on its own fully automated.
It is ironic that in 1998 the Russian Buran spacecraft made a similar unmanned automated test flight.
Some say that the Buran space craft was a carbon copy of its American counterpart.
Former Soviet shuttle Buran
Buran on board Antonov 225Test flight
The Soviet space shuttle program was cancelled in 1993. The Buran was subsequently destroyed by a hangar collapse in 2002.
The Soviet space program crumbles mostly because of lack of funds and the then ailing soviet economy.
Buran images copyright unknown used under the fair use policy
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Camera Sense
I agree, lets hope no one develops military assets in space like during the Ragan years with the likes of S.D.I. etc.
hmmm putting a forer actor in charge of the oval office was a bit scarey
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Actually, the so called "Star Wars" was not a means of attack, but a method of preventing attack. It was designed to stop any missiles that were launched. Sort of like the defense shields that we promised to Poland and the Czech Republic before B.O.(B.S.) decided to appease our enemies instead of protecting our allies.