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STLegacy — STS-135: End of an Era
Published: 2011-07-08 01:10:54 +0000 UTC; Views: 4545; Favourites: 115; Downloads: 508
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Description
The final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, will launch in approximately 14 hours now.The space shuttle program started in 1981, but is coming to an end today, after 30 years.
That's why I've made this wallpaper!
Enjoy!
Credits:
- Atlantis (and the other Atlantis) from NASA
Related content
Comments: 60
Thanks a lot, camprobber! Uhu, it's a pity that they ended the Space Shuttle program!
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Awesome pic... I remember as a kid in first grade watching Columbia lift off on the first mission. My imagination lifted off as well. I am curious while drawing this did you ever get upset or even pissed off thinking the program ended without a replacement? just a thought!!
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Thanks, Darthwolf769! Well, I wasn't pissed off, but it was a bit of a sad moment, because during my entire life, Space Shuttles were launched (born in 1995) and I never even thought that would quit. For me, the fact that they've stopped launching Space Shuttles is worse than that there's no replacement at the moment. I really liked the Space Shuttle!
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When I heard they ended this.........I was sooooo pissed off...and crying at the same time T___T
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End of space shuttle? Finally, they decided to launch a Millenium Falcon serial production 
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What do you mean with Millennium Falcon serial production?
I wish the Space Shuttles were still flying. I'm used to seeing one lift-off every now and then!
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That was a joke, but my point is : they're not going to stop space programs for ever. Stopping space shuttles doesn't inevitably mean we won't go in space anymore. So I think they will - soon or not - innject funds to research a new kind of design (that maybe sound simple, but the idea is here). And we already have space planes, that can take off like a plane, go into the higher layers of atmosphere, and return on Earth like a plane. What you need on this kind of machines is a bit of adjustment (onboard research laboratory, thermic shield, openable body exactly like the space shuttle). With these planes, to go onto orbit, you no longer need those 2 bigass powder booster (unless you want to visit other planets
In a few words, space and aeronautics technologies developped over the last thirty years could potentially make the future space programs cheaper, faster and more secured. The fact is, the space shuttle is maybe not the best candidate to take profit of these possible upgrades, so we have to study, research, test, validate and produce a new one.
Honestly, I really look forward to see men and women in space again. Around Earth or on other planets, I don't really care, but in space.
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Uhu... I'm curious to see what they'll come up with next.
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Anyway, Soyouz program still running on...
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I wish I could hve seen it live in Florida... Still, the end of a legend. The launches were cool!! It will be missed! USA all the way!
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Fortunately, I was just in time to watch the launch on TV!
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nice! It was enjoyable while it lasted... I'm going to miss thise launches until NASA comes up with something to replace the Shuttle.
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Beautiful!! Added to "Space Ship" collection here..[link]
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Thank you very much, andjbs!
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Wonderful image. It's disturbing that they don't at least have tentative plans for the future. The next generation of the space shuttle should be on the drawing table. I have high hopes for the VASIMR engine, offset by grave doubts about the American sociopolitical climate. It would be a shame if they let all the experience and technology gained from the space shuttle go to waste.
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Thank you very much! Well, perhaps they're already designing a successor for the Space Shuttle, but they're not letting us in on it yet.
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I hope that's true. It might be better if they whipped up public interest by getting space enthusiasts to raise an X-prize for shuttle designs. If you told Americans 30 years ago that they'd be paying the Russians to take them into space, no one would believe you.
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The military is already designing an unmanned reusable spaceplane for their own secretive cargos, you might learn about the launch dates somehow, but you probably won't see this one launch. We public only know about it because it started as a NASA public project, then went under the curtain.
[link]
I've also seen an article on the military developing a spaceplane for RAPID deployment without having to fly through any nation's airspace, by flying over them. To set soldiers down anywhere in the world in 2 hours, is what it could do, and no playing the weeks-on-end game of political "lemme through" and paperwork that made us miss Osama so many times. Sounds sci-fi, still ~50 years off, give or take a few decades.
Plans are that NASA will buy/contract "tickets" from private space companies to fly astronauts. Whether NASA's astronauts fly the spacecraft or private pilots do is yet to be decided.
SpaceX is the most promising candidate, they've flown the Dragon on top of the Falcon 9, and within half a decade or so it'll be cleared to put people in it. They'll start using the capsules to resupply the ISS sooner, but idk when. I don't see any reason they aren't now...
SpaceX: [link]
Dragon spacecraft: [link]
Falcon 9: [link]
They've flown successfully, but because of legal paperwork it'll still be years before they put people on-board. Grr. I hate all the stupid, pointless, wasteful beaurocratic red tape...
I've also heard of a spaceplane they're considering that's in competition for NASA's contracts. Darn wish I could remember it's name so I could look it up...
I definitely prefer spaceplanes. They're far more reusable, after all!
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Outstanding work and a great way to celebrate the Space Shuttle. It's a damn shame they have nothing to replace it with.
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Thank you very much! Well, perhaps we'll see a successor in the future!
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I wonder what Sally Ride would say abt this?
Cross Fingers that warp drive is invented Soon!!
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Haha, well, warp drive is still far away, if it's even possible!
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I love the crew. If they died on reentry, I'd not go anywhere The shuttle is my life. I'm sad to see it go.
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But you can visit those shuttles in museums! As far as I know, they're all going to a different museum in the US!
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Nice hommage to the Shuttle Program! I wonder what will come next...
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Thank you very much! Yes, I'm also very curious to know what they come up with next.
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My heart sank when they cancelled the shuttle missions. 
I hope someone will be able to do more, if not NASA!
I hear someone is making commercial space flights??
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Commercial space flights? I have heard something about it yes, but I can't really remember it.
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They showed it on the news two days ago, although I missed it because it showed early in the morning. :/
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reminds my of the new transformers movie^^ awesome pic!
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Haha thank you very much!
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Farewell Space shuttles, on your journey you have led to some of Earth's greatest breakthrough in science and space engineering, after nearly 30 years and 135 missions, all will be missed. Very nice tribute to an end of an era.
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Thank you very much! Well.. on July 20th, the Atlantis will land again, and then it's really over.
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You're welcome, sorry for the late reply, Indeed, it will be a bittersweet end of an era.
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Yep it is...
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You're welcome! I am glad that you like it!
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Indeed, no more lift-off for a Space shuttle!
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30 years not 20, but cool piece of art none the less
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