We can launch unmanned rockets, but can we repair them? The Hubble had to be repaired awhile ago...without the shuttle, we would have had to bring it out of orbit and launch up a new one.

And, the shuttle is a completly different beast than it was 28 years ago. Numerous upgrades have been made to its systems and components, so it's pretty unfair to call it 28 years old.

Beautiful post by DisneyFanwithabunchofnumbersdtaggedontheendofhisna me!!! But there was one error:
Velco was a gift that T'Pol (the Vulcan on the Enterprise in "Star Trek: Enterprise") gave someone on earth when a couple of the crew of the Enterprise visited earth (I don't remember all of the details) in the mid 20th century.

She gave it to the MIB, remember?

You boys sure know how to flutter this geeky girl's heart. :cool:

I had thought about postng that T'Pol thing, but I didn't think anyone would get it. I guess I'm not as much of a geek as I thought.

The first ever space "walk" underneath the shuttle is complete.

I put "walk" in quotes because what they actually did was attach the astronaut to the space station's robitic arm while those aboard the station maneuvered him into position.

This was an unscheduled walk to remove a couple bits of filler material from between some of the heat shield tiles that was dangling. In the past, NASA has observed increased temperatures of a couple hundred degrees on the shuttle during reentry, and when they inspected it afterwards found similar bits of hanging material. So since no one could rule out the possibility that these bits could cause overheating, especially since one of the bits was towards the front which ist he hottest part, they played it safe.

It was a delicate walk, they went super slow to be sure that the astronaut (Stephen Robinson) didn't bump the shuttle at all and risk damaging a tile. He left behind all the tools they'd normally carry on a space walk to reduce the risk. All he had with him was a makeshift hack saw in case the material didn't come out easily

NASA figured it might take up to a couple of hours to actually remove the material. As it turned out, it just slid right out, took him a few seconds. I got a chuckle because MSNBC.com has a big splash banner headline on their front page, "Mission Accomplished!" and then you watch the video and it's a guy pulling what looks like a piece of paper out of a crack. Oh those brave, brave astronauts. Of course, I'm fully impressed with the whole operation and know that a lot of real effort went into it. The whole walk actually took 6 hours. But it's still pretty funny to see "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" in front of a video of a guy grabbing a piece of paper. :D

It's simply amazing anytime astronauts perform an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) because they're only protected by inches of material in a pressure-suit. So far, Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-114 crew have performed three spacewalks.

In space, the suit has to protect them from various conditions, such as:
--Temperature
--Radiation Exposure (UV Light, Solar Flares, etc.)
--Micrometeoroids and Debris (including sand and dust)
--Chemical Contamination
--Potential Hazards (that could cause entrapment, snagging, tearing, or puncturing the suit)
--Radiation (being emitted from high-power electromagnetic transmitters--microwave, radar, laser, radio, UV/IR visible lamps--on the space module with exterior antennas)
--Electrical Voltage (from inadvertent grounding of electric circuits and from electrical discharge resulting from static charge buildup)
--Positive Pressure (Rupture by overpressurization of the crewmember's suit)

The design of the space suit is also intricate and true "rocket science," as these simplified diagrams show:

ok, but why is stuff falling off a shuttle after they ahd over two years to ensure it's back to flight status? There's also "fabric" of some sort near the **** pit window. Either they are being very over cautious or it's some kind of publicity stunt to prove they can pull paper off the shuttle in space....??

You try attatching millions of pieces to a bomb and seeing how much falls off. The shuttle encounters huge g-forces and speeds. Something is bound to fall off. I heard that in past shuttle missions, it was common for hundreds of pieces to fall off. In this launch, only a few have, and none actually hit the shuttle. It's quite a miracle, actually. They are just taking every possible move to prevent an accident from happening. As said earlier, it has been noted that this fabric can cause higher temps on the hull when exposed, so they removed it to be on the safe side. Its happened before, and the shuttle was fine without it being removed. They are just making sure everything is as good as possible before re-entry.

Get ready to be inspired, humbled and proud. To boldly go... --Daniel

Crews of Discovery and Space Station pay tribute to fallen astronauts - Aug. 4, 2005

The crews of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 and International Space Station Expedition 11 took time out of their schedule Aug. 4, 2005 to pay tribute to all of the astronauts and cosmonauts who have given their lives for space exploration.

Wearing red shirts with the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 patch, each crewmember provided words of tribute and remembrance in their native languages – English, Russian and Japanese.

STS-114 is the first Space Shuttle mission to fly since the loss of Columbia and the STS-107 crew. The STS-107 crewmembers – Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Michael Anderson, Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon – were lost when Columbia broke up over northern Texas during re-entry.

Here is a LINK to a video of the tribute (Windows Media Player required) or you can read the transcript below:

Exploration: The Fire of the Human Spirit
A Tribute: To Fallen Astronauts and Cosmonauts

STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins:
Those who dare to venture into an unexplored land
will have revealed to them things which were never known.
Those who venture out upon the sea
will have revealed to them things never heard.
But those who venture into the sky upon wings of silence...
Yes, the ethereal adventurers...
Theirs is the revelation of things never dreamed!
Such are the ways of explorers
And the surpassing way of the sky.

STS-114 Pilot Jim Kelly:
As we orbit the Earth today, we are able to watch the beauty of the Earth and heavens unfurl before us as we undertake this journey. And we are reminded that it is upon the completion of the journey and the arrival back at the place from whence we came that we can say we truly know ourselves. Sadly, there are those who have been challenged by the adventure of human space exploration but who have not been able to experience that special feeling that comes with returning home. These are the men and women who have come before us, in courage, but who did not complete their journey of exploration. It is to these explorers that we now take a moment to reflect upon, and to whom we now pay tribute.

STS-114 Mission Specialist Steve Robinson:
The spirit of exploration is truly part of what it is to be human. Human history has been a continual struggle from darkness toward light, a search for knowledge and deeper understanding, a search for truth. Ever since our distant ancestors ventured forth into the world, there has been an insatiable curiosity to see what lies beyond the next hill, what lies beyond the horizon. That is the fire of the human spirit that we all carry.

Through that spirit and through realizing its ambitions, the human race has come to find its present place in the world. Previous generations went first on foot, then on horseback. Later came the wooden sailing vessels that opened new continents and new lands. Today we have aircraft and space craft. We have shrunk the world in a way that early generations of explorers could never have imagined.

STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence:
Likewise, even if the future is equally unimaginable to us, we can be sure that future generations will look upon our endeavors in space as we look upon those early expeditions across the seas. To those generations, the need to explore space will be as self evident as the need previous generations felt to explore the Earth and the Seas.

As President Kennedy said of space exploration:
"Space is there and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and planets are there and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked."

"We choose to do these things ... not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

And, certainly, space exploration is not easy, and there has been a human price that has been paid. As we step out into this new frontier we find that it is very unforgiving of our mistakes. The lives lost over thirty years ago with the early steps taken by the crews of Apollo 1, Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11 vehicles showed us that. The loss of the crew of Challenger reaffirmed the need to be ever vigilant of the risks.

STS-114 Mission Specialist Charlie Camarda:
Tragically, two years ago, we came once more to realize that we had let our guard down. We became lost in our own hubris and learned once more the terrible price that must be paid for our failures. In that accident we not only lost seven colleagues, we lost seven friends. Their families never shared in their homecoming. Those seven were driven by the fire of the human spirit within. They believed in space exploration. They knew the risks, but they believed in what they were doing. They showed us that the fire of the human spirit is insatiable. They knew that in order for a great people to do great things, they must not be bridled by timidity.

Expedition 11 Flight Engineer John Phillips:
To the crew of Columbia, as well as the crews of Challenger, Apollo 1 and Soyuz 1 and 11, and to those who have courageously given so much, we now offer our enduring thanks. From you we will carry the human spirit out into space, and we will continue the explorations you have begun. We will find those new harbors that lie out in the stars and of which you dreamed. We do this not just because we owe it to you, but we do it because we also share your dream of a better world. We share your dream of coming to understand ourselves and our place in this universe. And as we journey into space you will be in our thoughts and will be deeply missed.

STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi:
Previous paragraph repeated in Japanese.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev:
Previous paragraph repeated in Russian.

STS-114 Mission Specialist Andy Thomas:
Not twice may any stand by the same stream,
Not twice possess the years that hasten on;
Something there was we looked on, loved, ‘tis gone
Or stays but as the shadow of a dream.

Hands that we touched clasp ours no more, and eyes
That shone for us as stars withdrew their light;
Voices beloved pass out into the night;
The gift of yesterday, today denies.

Yet we must hold it for a deeper truth,
Nothing that is, but only that which seems
Shall find its dwelling in the place of dreams;
The soul’s possession is eternal youth.

Swift flows the stream, but in it as it flows
The same unchanging stars are mirrored bright.
Swift fly the years, but heedless of their flight
The touch of time, nor love nor friendship knows.

STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins:
And, in closing, for all our lost colleagues, we leave you with this prayer,
often spoken for those who have sacrificed themselves for all of us:

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.