We can all breathe again now

[thatcrazycajun]

Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery has landed safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida (thanks to faxpaladin for the tip), following the first shuttle landing approach over ground (as opposed to water) since Columbia broke into flaming pieces, high in a clear blue Texas sky, four years ago...along with all our hearts. The crew are all fine and being debriefed as we speak.

Thanks be to God under all Her many names...and nice work, astronauts and all the rest of you NASA guys 'n' gals.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

thank goodness. I don't trust that rickety bucket of bolts any farther than I can throw it..

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

After two shuttle explosions in as many decades, I don't blame you; neither do I. That's now four-decade-old tech in that thing; there hasn't been an aircraft kept flying this long past its designed life's end since the DC-3.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Yeahwell, Gooney Birds are frelling *reliable* (partly because they're built like the proverbial masonry outbuilding). I really don't think I wanna go up in something I've gotta hang outside of and check just to see if I can land the blankety-blank thing.

They don't build'em like they used to. On 'tother hand, the bird in the icon isn't that far off '70's tech, and I'd fly that one any day they cared to put one in the air...

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

So what is the bird in the icon? I don't recognize it.

(wondering why NASA still hasn't sued Rockwell and Lockgreed Martin for damages by now...)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

It's only the world's first commercial manned spacecraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne)... :)

NASA can't sue. One, at least half the blame falls with NASA itself for taking such a FUBAR'ed design and, in Challenger's case, at least, flying it outside parameters... second, they need Boeing (who absorbed Rockwell many years ago) and Lockheed to build defense aircraft.

That's OK, though. Jack Northrop's ghost is gonna get his way. Now that Northrop-Grumman owns Scaled, there will damn well be something resembling his old flying wing in space on a regular basis. And it's only another four more years before the Shuttle ist kaputt for good, if somebody doesn't kick some sense into some people and ground'em RFN...

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Can't believe I didn't recognize SS1. When did Rutan sell out to NG? I missed hearing about a buyout of Scaled Composites.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

July 5. Strangely it didn't cause much of a splash... and didn't take long to go through (they announced on 5 July and closed 27 August...)

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Whew!