The Last Discovery

This is dedicated to my friend Zach - ID# 4WZ6NRPMYY89.

Space shuttle Discovery lifted off earlier this afternoon on what is expected to be an 11-day final mission. Officially it lifted off at 4:53 p.m. EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew that is making the 35th mission to the International Space Station is Commander Steven W. Lindsey, Pilot Eric A. Boe, and Mission Specialists Michael R. Barratt, Stephen G. Bowen, Nicole P. Scott, and Alvin Drew.

Mission Insignia

The NASA shuttle program has lasted for close to 30 years. The remaining three space shuttles are all scheduled to be decommissioned, with Discovery being the first one. Endeavor is scheduled to make its last mission the night of April 19th and last for 14 days. Atlantis will be the last and final space shuttle to be decommissioned after it completes its 12-day mission starting the afternoon of June 28th. The reasons for decommissioning the space shuttles includes safety concerns. Two of the five space shuttles, Challenger and Columbia, were unable to complete their missions, RIP.

Here's where it gets interesting. While Discovery is headed for the Smithsonian, United Space Alliance has proposed to launch both Endeavor and Atlantis once per year for an additional 7 years. While doing so as a commercial endeavor could eliminate the need for US astronauts to rely on Russian spacecraft, it seems to me that there is a glaring safety issue at hand. Not only has NASA been unable to convince the government that they are safe, but even this last liftoff there is foam that reportedly fell off the Discovery after liftoff. While I understand the idea from a business standpoint, offer a service that no one else can, I'm just hoping that someone has overlooked and downplayed the need for an extreme cautionary need when it comes to the safety of those flying the space shuttles.

DISCOVERY'S NUMBERS (Prior to STS-133)
Total miles traveled: 142,917,535
Total time in orbit: 8,441 hours, 50 minutes, 41 seconds
Total orbits: 5,628
Total flights: 38
Total crew members: 246
Mir dockings: 1
International Space Station dockings: 12