This just in: NASA announces new homes for space shuttles.

Short version:
Discovery will go to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, replacing Enterprise which is currently there.

Enterprise will be moved to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.

Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Endeavour will go to California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Personally I'm looking forward to watching Endeavour's last launch later this month, but if things go the way I hope soon, I will regrettably not be here for Atlantis's (indeed the Space Shuttle Program's) last launch later this summer.

It's sad really; it's the end of an era, but unlike our pioneering days into space, the next phase of space exploration doesn't have that same feel of taking new exciting steps forward.

Thanks for the link and summary Matt. It reminds me, it's the 30th Anniversary of the first shuttle mission today as well.

Crossing my fingers and toes that Endeavour's still a go on the 29th. I'd hate for some stupid political BS to delay it with a federal shutdown. I mean really, who throws a shoe?

Well if there has ever been a reason for me to leave my comfy home in Oregon to visit LA, thats a pretty damn good reason.

Eep.

No worries sir, all are welcome here.  There aren't any plans per say, but I'll be there; certainly willing to meet up with anyone else who will be.  I believe there would be at least three of us.  I'm not sure of the best place to view a launch, but I'm sure we can meet somewhere for lunch or something and figure it out then.

So friended; let's "make it so" (see what I did there; damn I'm clever).

Cool.  How's that work by the way?  By person, by vehicle?  Drew & I would by happy to fill up any empty spots .  Otherwise I believe Drew has a spot picked out, and I'll likely join him there.  We should all exchange e-mails so we can co-ordinate our post-launch festivities.

matt.vayda@gmail.com

TOUCH DICKS POST PIX

Well that could have gone better! My plan to borrow a friend's mini-laptop fell through at the last minute so I was without a connection for the week and I stupidly hadn't sorted out contact details with you guys before I had left.

I ended up using my causeway ticket (bought through Gray Line Tours, who bus you out there and bring you back), only to spend about 20 minutes on the causeway itself before the scrub was announced. Oh well, at least I got a few snaps of the shuttle on the pad. On Wednesday I went back and did the Discover KSC Tour, which took me much closer to the pad but from the other direction (seeing just the ET and SRBs). Will post some pics soon.

In other news I highly recommend the Shuttle Launch Experience at the KSC. It's a great ride which promises a realistic simulation of a launch. In reality it's probably toned down but it was such a blast (haha, a pun!).

And for those that missed it, it was the 50th anniversary of America's first astronaut yesterday. Scott Glenn, er I mean Alan Shepherd  (or Ted Levine if you would prefer) was launched in Freedom 7 atop a Redstone rocket for a 15-minute sub-orbital flight. I think the USPS have issued special stamps? Is anyone going to get some?

.

Two fun bits from my time on the Shuttle Launch Experience:

It has one of those big briefing videos at the beginning, where a group of thirty or so people all watch the same video introduction in one big room. The floor of said room was plated metal, but with squares arranged in a spaced out grid (they looked like maintenance panels or something). The doors open, the people flood in, and with no other cue then their mere existence, stand on the panels one person to each, as if each panel were a transporter pad or something. All the panels quickly become occupied but people keep flooding in. Everybody who comes after tries to find a square but can't. People then start to legitimately panic and fret about not having a square to stand on and what that means. Later, I went with another friend and as the doors opened, I whispered to her, "Wait. Hang back just a second. Watch." Sure enough, the exact same thing happened. People spontaneously lined up on these squares without any actual cue to do so. Theme parks as slaughterhouses indeed.

Also the first time I went with a friend (who worked on the shuttle program until recently), the ride itself was still quite new and they were still working out the kinks. We went by and it was broken, so they told us to come back later. We did and they had it up and running again. We waited in line, also waiting on more slight delays. Eventually we get to the front and get strapped into the actual ride, excited to finally experience the thing after so much anticipation. And then wait out more delays. Finally, they admit to us it's broken again and unload everybody. In short, the first time I tried to ride the SLE, the mission was scrubbed. Eventually, we went back again and rode the thing successfully, but my friend and I were very amused by the simulation's fidelity to real life.

And the guy giving you the briefing in the video at the beginning (at the time, I don't know if they've redone it) was Charlie Bolden, who's now the NASA administrator. He has a very grandpa-ly vibe to him.

Hah, it's alright, my friend and I started to do the same thing. Had we been earlier in the crowd, I'm sure we would have stood on the squares and never given it another thought.