This PT.5 posting of "Veteran's Spotlight" ... will serve as a memorial posting, but to honour those as well who were not military/ veteran's, but shared this mission with our veteran's, the "Space Shuttle Challenger Crew" . This posting in particular I had to post because it is very personal to me and 3 buddies of mine at that time ... Joe Ruben Davila, Greg Martinez, and Steve DeRow, none of us will ever forget this one ... and I am suprised to be writing this on this cyberspace network system a quarter century later for that matter, something I have never imagined that day or soon after. Joe and I were talking about this just a couple day's ago. So it is a MUST for this journal.
But again ... these werent just vet's, but other's that showed the same bravery, dedication, and ambition it take's of those special and truely elite type's of our society ... that are those who tackle mission's at whatever cost, and get the JOB done, and this also display's the versatality of mission's, of our veteran's . A brief summary here from NASA of these heroes , which was a very diverse crew as far as background's too. Ya'll are the bedrock of what America represent's, Thank You!
"VETERAN'S SPOTLIGHT" PART'S 4, 3, 2, 1 HERE
VARIOUS NEWS READ/VIDEO LINK'S ON THIS
LAST MOMENT'S OF THE CREW, THANX TO XPLANEFLY
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As an extreme manned-space exploration supporter I was very angry with Obama when he canceled the tentative plans to return Americans to the moon. But the economic realities we face soon made me realize that his path to commercialization of manned space travel is the only viable option if I want to see significant American advancement in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteGiven the strange collective mental state the country is in I don't think we would do anything if the Chinese pulled a real Sputnik on us.
Hey Bum ... Well ... we did make it to the Moon first as history. Whether or not we have any other business there I dont know(?), but with the current and upcoming tech's, we have a variety of alternative's as far as space/ planetary exploration is concerned, that can be more economically feasible and have longer stay period's allowed since it's tech's/ robotic's to do the job, of course though, engineered from a manned station here on Earth. I know many are anticipating seeing a human actually land on another planet, such as Mars (Moon only being a "natural satellite" of planet Earth), though. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh .... I reckon I was just hoping that the mega mining corporation's dont try to figure out a way or reason to start mining the Moon in the near furure (anything for a buck) :) ... the reason I like to leave the moon alone, is because it is an importante unit to our life evolution cycle, and scientist's already know that it move's over an inch or 1.5" away from our planet per year, as the universe/ solar system is alway's expanding and evolving ... I mean ... if it werent for the moon to begin with, our species as is, may have never developed of the longevity of our live's as it is, it's complex, but the Moon play's a big role in our evolution, as far as tide's, weather pattern's and the form's of life that evolve and sustain, tolerance's, etc. ... kind of deep and complex with many theories from what I gathered, but fascinating. I agreed 110% though with President Obama on that.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of weather, it is drop dead gorgeous here in Dallas Bum at 60 degree's, sunny, dry and nice breeze, sure as Hell glad I'm not back in NYC or Chicago today ... fixin to hit the street's to enjoy a tad. :)
Thanx for your input and thought's here Bum!
BTW ... if China want's to pull off any new space venture's or related ... I am 110% for it ... as long as many of those material's and tech's are bought and exported from us! :)
ReplyDeleteWE WANT YOUR BUSINESS! :)
Haven't checked but did they get the last launch up yet? I know they were having technical problems.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we almost never hear about a mission these days. In the past it would be on all the networks.
Beach Bum I think those days are over. Today it's all about profit. How to get paying passengers into earth orbit.
RC they probably will be mining on the moon but it will be for water which would provide fuel for other missions, but I don't see it happening in my lifetime.
Howdy Demeur!
ReplyDeleteThe lowdown of the hoe- down I read on the shuttle mission's was Discovery is set for a resupply mission to the Intl Space Station the end of February this year ... Endeavor was to take a cruise April, while Atlantis will be on "stand- by" on a launch pad in case anything goes foul or malefunction's, to serve as a "rescue shuttle" ... and if all goes well with that ... NASA want's just one lil more ride they have tentatively scheduled for Atlantis the end of June ... but it's "problemo mucho" because of "money" too! So alot of folk's at NASA are still wiggling in their short's, and still munching out on them "near- beef" taco's from Houston area "Taco Bell's" ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. :)
Yeah brother ... everything these dayz is about profit only, and of course, there are already ticket's being sold for the wealthy folk's to get their amusement park sort of ride (space ride's) ... which is cool too, but there is a subculture of major entities as you are well aware of reading your posting's so long ... that want to privatize every damn thing, and even control science's I would figure would be on their agenda ... who know's, heh? :) All I know brother, is that we alway's need to sacrifice more for them .... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... and maybe if were lucky or dumb enough to believe them .... our great- great grandchildren may get rewarded. :) But mining the moon wouldnt suprise me a bit, if they can make a buck off it. :) One day brother, the species will learn what is truely the contaminating factor to our current species ... I was just talking with 3 of my grandson's about this earlier. Mission's are not just big news anymore, as Mr. BB KIng put's it in his song "The Thrill is Gone". :)
Thank You as alway's Demeur for your word's of the realities here.
I thought that was going to be the last launch before they mothballed everything so thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteA coworker of mine from some years back actually worked on the Challenger, the O rings to be exact. He was told by NASA to remove the asbestos containing rings and replace them with non asbestos and that is why the thing blew up. You can imagine the death threats he and his family got for just doing what he was told.
Geeezz Demeur ... I can only imagine what the "o- ring's" must look like on something like that, and no ... I had no idea that they even made them in abestos. I only am familiar with nothing larger than a car engine! :) and the only asbestos product's I recalled changing was brake pad's! :) I would bet your co- worker made a decent paycheck though.
ReplyDeleteRunnin late, I'm outta here Guy ...