Spacemens Luck

 

Where Tom Corbett, Captain Video, CMDR Corry and Other Spacemen Still Live

After the cancellation of NASA’s Constellation program, a plan to send human explorers back to the Moon by 2020, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the Solar System, and the launch today of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the countdown to the end of Americas manned space travel has begun.

With only 5 more scheduled Shuttle Missions left (see summary below) before the retirement of the Space Shuttle and now no follow on manned space travel program is planned or in the budget. The last acts of America’s supremacy in space are about to be played.

Unless Congress shows some sort of leadership, which the administration has relinquished, and overrides the closure of the Constellation program and continues the funding, the end is at hand. I for one don’t hold out any hope for such a chance that the Congress will restore the cuts to the Constellation program.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, with its six astronauts, lifted off this morning at 4:14:08 EST on mission STS-130. The space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the third connecting module, the Tranquility node, to the International Space Station (ISS) and a seven-windowed cupola (A dome like structure surmounting a roof or dome, often used as a lookout) to be used as a control room for robotics. The mission is planned to include three spacewalks.

 

Spacemen’s Luck STS-130 and the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour.

The seven-windowed cupola is a control tower-shaped structure, fitted with seven specially developed windows, which will be installed on Node 3 of the ISS. From the Cupola, astronauts will have a panoramic view for observing and guiding operations on the outside of the ISS.

The Endeavour and STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is crewed by Mission Commander George Zamka and pilot Terry Virts with Mission Specialists, Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts is making his first trip to space.

 

 

Below is a summary of the remaining four STS Space Shuttle Missions:

STS-131 Scheduled for March 18, 2010 using the space shuttle Discovery will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module filled with science racks to be transferred to laboratories on the International Space Station.

STS-132 Scheduled for May 14, 2010 using the space shuttle Atlantis will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station. Final planned flight of Atlantis.

STS-133 Scheduled for July 29, 2010 using the space shuttle Endeavour will deliver spare parts to the International Space Station. Final planned flight of Endeavour.

STS-134 Scheduled for September 16, 2010 using the space shuttle Discovery will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier 4 and critical spare components to the International Space Station. Final flight of Discovery. Last planned Space Shuttle mission.

Countdown To The End Of American Manned Space Travel Has Begun10.0101