50 years ago today, 7/21/61.

[SkyMan]

On this the last day of the space shuttle era, a time when we now will be transporting our astronauts to the space station by leasing room on RUSSIAN spacecraft, I'd like to remind people of another time when America's space program was second to the Russians. Yuri Gagarin was the first Man in space, orbiting the earth on April 12, 1961. America responded with Alan Shepard's May '61 ~ 350 mile suborbital flight. Two months later on 7/21/61 Gus Grissom also had a suborbital flight on Liberty Bell 7 (LB7). At the end of the flight LB7 sank in the Atlantic.

 

It is probable that Grissom is the most recognized astronaut there is for bringing coins with him on his flight. There is even a scene in the movie, "The Right Stuff", showing Grissom talking about bringing coins with him. He brought 100 Roosevelt dimes in 2 rolls with him on his flight. These dimes were in his spacesuit so they were recovered when Grissom was recovered. All of these dimes that I have seen (3) have been 1961-D, so my best guess is that he requested new rolls at his local bank before the flight. I was lucky enough to win one of these dimes at an auction several years ago. Here it is:

 

 

I hope that wherever you live it is clear tonight, so that you can go outside and gaze at the stars.

[BillJones]

We have seen the end of American manned space flight in my lifetime. They can talk all they want about how "private industry" will pick up the challenge, but they are just blowing smoke. One fatality and the private industry programs will be history.

 

The current people in power don’t like private industry. That shows you what they think of the manned space program. It’s toast so far as they are concerned.

[mtnstyne]

9,000 layoffs today at NASA.

[johnny9434]

9,000 layoffs today at NASA.

 

that just aint right. i think its gonna come back and bite us on that one. jmo

[Conder101]

We have seen the end of American manned space flight in my lifetime. They can talk all they want about how "private industry" will pick up the challenge, but they are just blowing smoke. One fatality and the private industry programs will be history.

Depends on whether private industry decides what to do or if government shuts them down because of it. After we lost the first shuttle the program was shut down for three years. Private industry would have implemented some additional safety measures, stopped launching in very cold weather and gone back to work while the seals were redesigned. (Here's a thought though, if private industry does take over space exploration and they get to the moon could they claim it? You know if the Chinese get there first they will.)

 

The current people in power don’t like private industry. That shows you what they think of the manned space program. It’s toast so far as they are concerned.

I sorry to say I agree. From now one we may have to look to China and Russia for scientific advances.

 

If anyone says to you "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we" Explain to them that we CAN'T put a man on the moon. WE can't even put a man into low earth orbit. Kennedy is probably spinning in his grave. He challenged us to go to the moon, and now our capabilities are about the same as what they were when he took office.

 

NASA has said they still have plenty of projects, like the Webb Telescope. The replacement for the Hubble, almost three times the diameter and intended to be put in orbit at four times the distance of the moon. Launch scheduled for 2018!

 

ON WHAT? Now that the shuttle is gone we don't even have a heavy launch vehicle. The one that was on the drawing board to replace the shuttle was already three years behind schedule and not going to start operations until 2015 or 2016. That project has now been scrapped. Even if they started again today they couldn't have a launch vehicle ready in to to launch that telescope.. Without vehicles to launch them, how much longer will these NASA projects continue to be funded?

 

I must be psychic. A stroy just came out today about a proposal to eliminate the funding for the Webb Telescope.

[Buffalo Head]

My father worked for NASA and I remember all of this as it was yesterday....He worked at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffet field.....Joe

[SkyMan]

...(Here's a thought though, if private industry does take over space exploration and they get to the moon could they claim it? You know if the Chinese get there first they will.)

 

The current people in power don’t like private industry. That shows you what they think of the manned space program. It’s toast so far as they are concerned.

I sorry to say I agree. From now one we may have to look to China and Russia for scientific advances...

 

FWIW, there is a HUGE difference between the US space program and the Chinese and Russian programs in the field of scientific advances. China MAY over time overtake the US, but the fact of the matter is that as far as pure science goes, Manned flight is HOPELESSLY inefficient. The VAST majority of scientific discoveries in space (AT LEAST 97%) have been by robotic probes, and the US is unquestionably the leader there. Russia's space probes have for the most part not been cutting edge (or even successful) since the 1960's. The Europeans (ESA) have produced far more scientific data with their probes than the Russians have in the last 20 years, even though ESA doesn't not have a manned launch capability.

 

As discouraged as I am by the US Manned space program right now, I am certainly not throwing up my hands. IMO the commercial companies predominantly need money to move their human spacecraft from concept to reality. There are 4 companies currently in this "race", and I'd guess 2 or maybe 3 will survive. Unfortunately I think one of them will inevitably be Boeing because of it's lobbyists' pull, even though their craft is more expensive than others. One company, SpaceX, has already launched AND RECOVERED a non Man rated variant of their capsule. My understanding is that what they mainly need NASA money for now is an escape system (e.g. rocket), to lift the capsule off the main rocket in case the main rocket blows up.

 

As to commercial companies or the Chinese claiming the Moon, they can not do that under the current internationally agreed upon Space Treaty. That is not to say that they wouldn't be able to do significant mining etc. however they'd like to once they got there. Truthfully though, as much as a space fanatic as I am, mining the Moon or other bodies in the solar system, much less colonizing them, is certainly a good long ways off, simply because of the economics of it. At the end of the day, everything comes down to cost, and until humanity can significantly drop the cost of a kilo to orbit Manned space flight will be mainly an exhibitionist sport. Luckily, given the advance of technology, the cost of a kilo to orbit is steadily declining.