I've always thought that this was simply the coolest thing ever...that the venerable 747 was capable of flying like a boss with an STS on its back. Amazing.

Over 30 years ago....

...as a young airline captain I snapped a picture of the Space Shuttle on the ground at Tulsa OK. It was mounted on the back of what I then thought was a converted American Airlines 747. It was en route being delivered for it's first flight. What an amazing sight. America seemed invincible, the future unlimited and ....I felt immortal. That slightly faded photograph remains now.... in a scrapbook among the memories of an obviously mortal man.

A generation has passed. The 747-100s are mostly in the scrap heap. Our nation is in decline: the Space Shuttle got old and is retired.

And ....so have I.

How quickly the time passed. How short the years of glory.

Bob

z3skybolt wrote:A generation has passed. The 747-100s are mostly in the scrap heap. Our nation is in decline: the Space Shuttle got old and is retired.

And ....so have I.

How quickly the time passed. How short the years of glory.

Bob

Hey Bob, this one's for you...

Today's flight of Discovery brought both pride and sadness to me. Starting in June of '65 I was working for North American Aviation/North American Rockwell/Rockwell International at Kennedy Space Center. I was 21 yrs old. On Jan 27, '67 I was working second shift on Launch Pad 34 when the 3 astronauts were killed in a fire in the command module. I last worked on the first lunar landing in '69 and took a layoff to change careers. I had never been involved with something as exciting as the space program in Florida, and to this day, can feel my body shake with the memory of the Saturn V lifting off and seeing cars parked bumper to bumper on US 1 in Titusville to watch these launches. Felt very proud to be an American and part of this awesome project.

Today I see the USA rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan with little hope of success but at a cost of trillions and thousands of lives. The government can find money for so many, IMO, foolish and useless endeavors but can't continue to fund NASA's futuristic ideas. For the USA to throw the towel in on exploring space and the technological advances, jobs, and pride that would have come from it, to regulate our transportation needs to the Russians, makes me quite sad. I guess I am lucky that I still have some memories from those glory days, playing baseball before the, at that time, largest crowd in Cocoa, FL against a team of astronauts, in the stadium of the Houston Astro's winter home, to my first airplane ride, one in which I took my first flight lesson and won a $100 bet from a coworker. Good times, hope there are some more in the future. FF

On a slightly happier note I'm pretty sure we got to see the space shuttle transporting 747 (sans shuttle) flying beneath us right around Edwards Air Force base a few weeks ago. Pretty cool sight. He was really low with the gear out. Probably some sort of test flight. I would have taken a photo, but was too busy seeing and avoiding.

FloatFlyer wrote:I was working for North American Aviation/North American Rockwell/Rockwell International at Kennedy Space Center.

Today I see the USA rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan with little hope of success but at a cost of trillions and thousands of lives. The government can find money for so many, IMO, foolish and useless endeavors but can't continue to fund NASA's futuristic ideas.

Wow, I had no idea... I thought you were just another float flyer.

Sadly, I agree w/your woes. Seems like the American gov't is more concerned with being a big brother to everyone except the US citizens. I think feeding, educating & taking care of health @ home is more important than the focus abroad. Who knows what the agenda is, but it sure doesn't make sense to me. I wish N America (US & Canaduh) would focus on staying @ the top of the standard of living list, and helping others when/where it can be afforded. Nothing lasts forever but the "glory days" are fading fast. We're filling up w/unskilled immigrants @ a huge cost to those who built the country(s).

Back to my room...

Who farted? Stinks in here.

Good article that addresses the issues with a little more accuracy than general sour wistfulness: http://www.space.com/11363-nasa-space-s ... aries.html

Z3Skybolt wrote:

That slightly faded photograph remains now.... in a scrapbook among the memories of an obviously mortal man

Oh boy... I can identify with that one:



and I can identify with Ford's story too. I started working for NASA in '67 at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. I worked in Flight Crew Operations Directorate training astronauts in zero-G and reduced gravity environments. I was 21 and invincible like Z3 said. One weekend I was in the locker room after a training exercise with a couple of guys. The next weekend they were walking on the moon. It was an incredible time. But the Apollo program slammed shut too and there was a long period of waiting before the Shuttle came along. I too took a layoff and moved my career to North American Aviation (Rockwell International) in Los Angeles to work on the B-1 bomber - a program with its own long history of delays, cancellations and downgrades. It has been a convoluted path since then and a lot of water has gone under that bridge, but, have faith; if we can spend a couple of billion a year to pay farmers NOT to grow stuff, we will eventually find the money to make some cool new space toys too. Just don't take it out of my Social Security check.

YB

NimpoCub wrote:

FloatFlyer wrote:I was working for North American Aviation/North American Rockwell/Rockwell International at Kennedy Space Center.

Today I see the USA rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan with little hope of success but at a cost of trillions and thousands of lives. The government can find money for so many, IMO, foolish and useless endeavors but can't continue to fund NASA's futuristic ideas.

Wow, I had no idea... I thought you were just another float flyer.

Sadly, I agree w/your woes. Seems like the American gov't is more concerned with being a big brother to everyone except the US citizens. I think feeding, educating & taking care of health @ home is more important than the focus abroad. Who knows what the agenda is, but it sure doesn't make sense to me. I wish N America (US & Canaduh) would focus on staying @ the top of the standard of living list, and helping others when/where it can be afforded. Nothing lasts forever but the "glory days" are fading fast. We're filling up w/unskilled immigrants @ a huge cost to those who built the country(s).

Back to my room...

Agreed