Just before dawn today, U.S. astronauts folded their tray tables and returned their seats to an upright position as the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center. After five decades, our long National Space Stunt is over. Designed by Dr. Evel Knievel, the U.S. manned space effort sent humans into the cold void of space to definitively prove … um, that humans could go into space. Perhaps NASA will actually devote some of its funds to science now.
(Artist’s concept)
The geriatric space shuttle Atlantis wheezed into the International Space Station without calling for a tow. This is a considerable achievement for a 1985 vehicle, but it can be done if you sink enough money into it and forget about developing improved models. After all, new alternatives might not benefit the status quo, and we can’t have that.
The 1985-model Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) rolled out of Florida today, headed for the International Space Station. When the spacecraft returns to Cape Canaveral, NASA will put it up on blocks in the Kennedy Space Center front yard. Some people are upset that Atlantis is being retired, since it only has 120 million miles on the odometer.
Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-aDj
Image (“1985 Models: Chrysler 5th Avenue and Space Shuttle Atlantis”) by Mike Licht (Atlantis is the junker on the top). Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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