woberto Report This Comment
Date: July 10, 2011 12:58PM

Every shuttle mission had another shuttle on standby, in case they get stranded in orbit.
If all the other shuttles are retired, what's the contingency for this final mission?

ORLANDO399 Report This Comment
Date: July 10, 2011 01:20PM

The cost of keeping the space around is a whooping penny to every dollar the gov spend's!I'm hoping when odumba get's voted out ,the space program get's voted back in!

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: July 10, 2011 01:37PM

all we need to do if something happens, is pay our new partners in socialism to save them.

Mrkim Report This Comment
Date: July 10, 2011 02:06PM

Yep, the Rooskies will be cashin in big time for every future ride to the space station. Since our shuttle program was canceled they have TRIPLED the price for a tag along visit to the station

Onyma Report This Comment
Date: July 10, 2011 04:27PM

The contingency is just to leave them on the space station and not rush to bring it home. That presents a TON of other problems though with future docking, station orientation, power issues, etc. But those could be dealt with in the event of a catastrophic issue preventing the orbiter return.

pulse Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 12:15PM

Interesting if true?

*1. The US bank bailout exceeded the half-century lifetime budget of NASA.
*2. The US military spends as much in 23 days as NASA spends in a year - and that's when we're not fighting a war.
*3. The entire half-century budget of NASA equals the current two year budget of the US military.

I'd rather the shuttle programme...

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 12:30PM

at least we cut off Pakistan...for the moment

Mrkim Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 12:53PM

As a kid in the 60s I can say there was a huge resurgence of national pride associated with the space program, something we could sure use today too.

I've always been supportive of the space program and would greatly support its continuance over many of the less useful things the damned govt. chooses to support instead

quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 01:40PM

I heard a report the other day that the amount spent on the entire 30 year shuttle program was equal to 5 months of medicare payments last year. The space program is a relatively cheap way to advance technology and I hate to see it faultering but in times like these the non essential stuff has to be cut.

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 02:07PM

the whole position of cutting Medicare is redundant when they do absolutely nothing to reduce the cost of care. first there needs to be a serious reduction in frivolous law suits. this will greatly reduce insurance costs which are the biggest excuse for doctors charging so much as well as performing unnecessary tests to satisfy insurance companies covering their own asses.once that has been tackled we can go forward with other legislation.

quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 11, 2011 03:56PM

I agree, f_d. In March of 1989 I had back surgery for which the total bill, including doctors & hospital, was $29,000. In April of this year I had nearly identical surgery with the same level of hospital care and the hospital bill alone is $97,000. Even accounting for inflation that's quite a jump.

Onyma Report This Comment
Date: July 12, 2011 04:35PM

Read this this morning and thought I would append it to the initial question:

"NASA cut the crew size to just four instead of the typical six or seven to accommodate the smaller Russian Soyuz capsules that would be used as rescue vehicles if Atlantis were too damaged to safely return to Earth. Since the 2003 Columbia accident, shuttle crews have had a second shuttle on standby to mount a rescue mission if needed. But there is no backup shuttle for Atlantis, which is closing out the 30-year-old program with NASA’s 135th and final flight."

quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 12, 2011 04:47PM

I've been wondering what happens if there's an emergency on the Space Station and not everyone can be evacuated in time to save them. Do they draw straws? Is there any kind of escape pod on the thing? I don't think so.

Onyma Report This Comment
Date: July 12, 2011 09:18PM

Quasi: It is policy that there are always enough seats in docked Soyuz capsules to evacuate the entire crew. If I remember correctly there was a point early in the station's history where a capsule failed to dock and that caused a delay in the next crew mission because there wouldn't have been enough space for emergency escape seats.

quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 13, 2011 12:02AM

Now why did my mind just flash on those contests to see how many people could be stuffed into an original VW Beetle?

Thanks, Onyma.