Shuttle Ends

When Atlantis landed this morning at the Kennedy Space Center, it brought an end to the thirty-year-old shuttle program.

Our video page contains two recent posts of shuttle-themed stories, produced in-house, and it seems we aren’t the only ones feeling sentimental. The online science news and blogosphere is humming with nostalgia today (and for the past week or so).

If you’re looking for more video, Nature has also put together a compilation video. It includes footage from every single mission. (That’s not a typo!)

A special section from Nature News has culminating articles about the program. One, an editorial post just before the final Atlantis launch earlier this month, talks about disappointments of the shuttle’s scientific program and how it “never lived up to its hype.” Even so, the writer admits:

The shuttle program was costly, but it kept NASA focused and in the thoughts of both Congress and the public… The fear must be that without the shuttle program, NASA and its strong space science will wither.

An article from Reuters yesterday disagrees with the editorial above and touts the scientific (or at least engineering) successes from the program.

Technology used in space shuttle fuel pumps, for example, led to the development of a miniature heart pump weighing less than 4 ounces (113 grams). Shuttle wiring problems discovered in 1999 triggered a new self-healing insulation repair technology, which is being commercialized with Federal Aviation Administration funding… Ford Motor Co used a system originally developed to detect shuttle hydrogen gas leaks to produce a car-powered by natural gas.

Reuters also provides a total cost of the missions: about $200 billion. And NPR has a graphic with other shuttle numbers, including speed, size, weight and temperatures.

NPR also had an excellent story earlier this week about the Made in USA nature of the shuttles. An accompanying media piece, with images and audio bites, is aptly called “The Handmade Space Shuttle.”

Universe Today features a post with a nostalgic look back and a fresh look forward (into museums):

Soon the magnificent “flying bricks” as they are commonly nicknamed will be museum exhibits.

Finally, another look forward from the New York Times talks about the new commercial space race to the moon.

If we missed any coverage or if you have your own thoughts on the ending of the shuttle program, please share them below.

The image above was taken from the International Space Station of Atlantis making its final trip home. Courtesy of NASA