Space Shuttle Discovery's Final Flight

The reason America got into a very big loans to world bank it's because of their space exploration. Due to rescission and economic crisis they stop it. Good decision. It's not good to continue

Wait a minute, what?? No more space exploring? I haven't heard this, is this true?

The Shuttle Missions should not a ended when they did! They ahould of continued for the time being! I heard George Bush had the idea to discontinue the Shuttle Missions when he was in office and it has happen! How dumb! We have let our space program slide! If we hadn't we would be doing something else now that the space shuttles missions have ended! This was not planned out at all and we need to get our space program back on track! It is sad that our space program has become! It isn't the same like in the 1960's and 1970's! Not at all!

My entire life from 10 on has been spent dreaming of space and space exploration. Memories of the first manned flights, the moon landing when I was 13. Apollo 13 and the fear that they'd not return, reality set in for me with that, I realized it all wasn't a movie or a tv show, it was real. I have watched the shuttle glide in through the clouds, stood for an hour watching it come in. I will miss this. And I think we're giving up something very important to our nation, not only the scientific strides, but that common goal. Gingrich understood the need for something like this to draw us all together like we were in the years surrounding the moon landing effort. He also understood that other nations will do this, pull ahead of us and we will be PAYING them for the benefits they reap.

Actually, the space shuttle flights ended last July. The "final flight" as it was called was simply Discovery being flown on the back of a 747 from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to it's resting place at the Smithsonian where it will be put on display. For the time being, the U.S. isn't spending much money on NASA. If we ever get anybody into office that can straighten things out and get the economy back on track, I'm sure we'll start up the space program again. It won't be the shuttles of course, they are all done, but we'll move on to something else. Hopefully, we won't be grounded for very long.

it is a very sad thing for me to hear about.... i feel like there is so much to be learned about space and so much more can be discovered and to me it seems as tho they are giving up and that they do not care what else could be out there. it was a great program and i hate to see it end. my husband and i were talking early today and we think that another shuttle will be made and another will be sent to space. it may not be this year, next year, ten years from now but we truely believe that they are not completely done with space just yet. this is just a feeling and out opinion but i hope that is what they decide :)

My brother actually designed part of the shuttle....and my nephew who is in research had an experiment on the last flight...so for me it's a bit sad. I do think there is so much more to explore.....

While the shuttle program accomplished some important things, it was just not what should have followed the moon program. Space is the future of mankind and most politicians had rather spend time and money making the number of lower income people larger who are then dependent on the government in order to have captive voters, than working toward the future of mankind. Eventually these policies will lead to a world that can not sustain itself and no longer has the resources to expand into to space to save itself that way.

Hello Mandalee, I am deeply sad about this, not the one you were expecting. a lot of people are like blaming OBAMA for cancelling future space programs planned by Bush administration but my view here is budget cuts. so much for the reusable space craft, can they just make another one? since they have made several shuttles already? i don't feel living in an era where NASA's space flights kinda putting on an end.So, what happens to the Spaces-tation? frankly, this sucks.

Well, we have many missions to space and most of them has been a successful one. Most of them satisfy their mission but I wounder what is the need of the same thing again. Is this true piece of information MandaLee ?

Wow. Truly the end of an era. Private spaceflight just isn't the same.