The last space shuttle will come in for its final landing. Ever. I remember the first launch, when I was in the first grade at school in Goergia (this was sufficiently important stuff that we watched it in class, even in the first grade…). A few days later, we saw the landing. Live. After the first few missions, they became sufficiently commonplace that the news no longer preempted the regular programming to show the launches. The exception was one day in 1986 when they broadcast the live launch in school (for some reason or another, my teacher at the time didn’t turn the tv on, but it was on in the adjoining classroom). But it was turned on right away when it was realized what had just happened. May Christa McAuliffe frolic in the Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory.
A lot more of the technological innovations we enjoy have come from the space program than you really know. Not being able to put people into space on a regular basis will eventually have an adverse effect on the economy, and I’m afraid people don’t realize that. Yes, it takes our tax dollars, but the innovations that we can derive from them will in the long run bring an even greater return on the investment.
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