Tag Archives: space shuttle

Success And Endeavour Mean A Lot Today

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 This week’s topic on GBE2 is Success, and I couldn’t think of exactly what to write about, until this morning, when I checked the NASA web site to see when the space shuttle Endeavour was due to land, and it was just under an hour away.

Landing safely at 2:35am at Kennedy Space Center on 1st June, this was the last mission for Endeavour, the last of the shuttles to be built, and I had to reflect on what a successful project the space shuttle program has been.

Although there have been several truly low points in the program, the breaking up of Challenger 73 minutes into it’s launch on 28th January 1986, and the equally sad loss of Columbia on 1st February 2003 just minutes before it was due to land, if we step back and look at what the space shuttle program has achieved, it’s remarkable.

Since the first flight of the shuttle on 12th April 1981, 30 years ago, man has built an orbiting space station, which is not just an American but an international effort.

The shuttles have been back and forth to the International Space Station over a hundred times, have both launched as well as captured and repaired satellites, including the Hubble Telescope.

STS-120 (1) The launchpad 12 miles away across the Indian River, waiting for the launch of Discovery from Kennedy Space Center.

NASA has proved that it is possible to build a re-useable space vehicle, and other than problems with the heat shield, which caused the loss of Colombia, I have never ceased to marvel at how smoothly the shuttle comes into land, especially if you consider that it’s descent and speed are far greater than any conventional airliner..

We have overcome many problems while constructing the space station as well, and I think if you look back, the Space Shuttle Program has been nothing but an outstanding success.

Congratulations to the crew of Endeavour on what has been another successful mission, it’s good to see you back on the ground.

Good Luck also to the crew of Atlantis, who are due to depart on it’s last mission in July, the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.

While I remember the Apollo Program and the missions to the moon in the late 1960’s, it’s remarkable to think that for many people, the space shuttles have been operating for most if not all of their lives.

It will seem strange not being able to witness a shuttle launch again, but the next generation of shuttles might be even more impressive.

This article was a project for the week for GBE2 (Global Blogging Experience) and was based on the word “Success”.

Article Summary 30th August 2010

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This is a list of articles that I have written on Associated Content in the last week, I hope you will take a look at them and also enjoy them.

I write on a number of topics, usually it depends on what comes into my head on any given day, so it could be a travel story, memoirs from my life, something from the daily news, or even a poem inspired by something.

This is what I have published in the last week, enjoy:

  • When the drink driving restrictions were brought into the UK in the 1960′s, it changed the eating and drinking habits of much of the population.
  • There must be 20 or more Blue Tits that come to visit the bird feeders in our garden every day. These are just a few of them, enjoying stocking up on peanuts.
  • Whether it’s a headline in a tabloid newspaper or the subject of an article or web page, a catchy headline can often make you wonder just what the article is about. So what is this article about you might wonder?
  • For anyone interested in the exploration of Space, the Space Shuttle program or the International Space Station, a visit to the Kennedy Space Center is something that is literally out of this world.
  • This weeks edition of Offbeat News has some really weird stories, including a woman with a mortal fear of bananas, a boy with his head stuck in a toilet seat, a wizard brand of condoms, and a swarm of bees surrounding a police car.
  • Welcome aboard our tour of the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These are some photographs of rockets from the late 1950′s and early 1960′s, the Mercury and Gemini programs.
  • Why are there so many strange bird names I wonder. I can understand the Blackbird being called as it is, because it’s a Black Bird, but why is a Robin a Robin for example.
  • This is a poem about the wonderful fall colors, the orange, red, yellow and gold hues that the Maple leaves turn in the Midwest USA as Summer comes to an end.
  • One of the most interesting parts of the Rocket Garden was the various plaques that showed the development of new technologies in engines, launch pads etc, throughout the 1960′s and up to the first Moon Landing.
  • This is an entry for Karen’s Writing Challenge: Judy’s head had become cluttered and so she left her office and headed off to the local park
  • The Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center has some really unique items from the Apollo program, like an Apollo Capsule, Service Arm and White Room.
  • The visitor center at Kennedy Space Center has some maps that show the layout of Cape Canaveral, the buildings, launch pads, and landing zone etc. There is so much more there than you would have imagined.
  • In this part of the tour of Kennedy Space Center we take a tour of the launch pads, and see some of the lesser known pads used to launch unmanned missions, and also the launch viewing area.

If you enjoy my writings, poetry and photographs, why not register with Associated Content, and then you can get an email every time I publish something.

Now that I am back into writing I already have a number of additional articles published.  You can also Click Here to see my latest articles, rather than wait for the next summary posting.