Topic: End of NASA?

[Mooning Freddy]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-space-shuttle-idUSTRE76I11420110721

Nasa has ceased its space shuttle program. This saddens me greatly.

Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana told reporters: "It's been our number one goal the last couple of years to safely fly out the shuttle program and we accomplished that."
"Its job is done and we got them back and can put them safely in museums and be proud of what they did," said veteran astronaut Stephen Robinson, who was among those on the runway.

How can they say that? Space shuttles don't belong in museums, they belong in space, seeking out new discoveries for the future of humanity and exploring new horizons! It's not like, hey we beat the Soviets in the space race, and now we ran out of money so to hell with the final frontier!

This is some real stagnation in your face. Another pin in the grave of the American dream. Space? Who needs space? It can wait for another century. Right now we need some more oil.

This is so sad. I really hope it's not the end, that they're not giving up the dream of space colonization. Mankind NEEDS it, and the sooner the better.

Well, there is still Russia and China. 

[X]

America's space program took a back seat to their Military budget unfortunately. Had they not wasted their time, money and resources with weapons and wars we would've had an established lunar colony already. We would also have had several years of exploring Mars under our belts and we'd be well on our way to breaching into the outer solar system by now. This is what a lot of America's historical analysts are hypothesizing what would have been. I agree with them on this. However just because NASA'a nearing the end it doesn't mean that it's over for the Final Frontier. I heard an interview about this very subject and the person who was being interviewed said that most likely, it will be corporations filling in the role of space exploration rather then NASA. It's happening right now with all the rich folk paying millions of dollars to get a seat on the shuttles to fly to the international space station. I believe this will lead to a sort of space tourism trade that as time goes by, will become cheaper.

[Aridale]

and then flyin thru space will be like flyin anywhere else on earth and then itll be just like FireFly =D

[Gunlord]

The end of the Cold War was what really put an end to the Space Age. Without the competition with the USSR, America just didn't have the incentive to go to space :/

[Kale]

The end of the Cold War was what really put an end to the Space Age. Without the competition with the USSR, America just didn't have the incentive to go to space :/

Yeah right!

America's so stuck up it's own ass trying to defend corporations and mask it under the guise of "OMG child porn", that's the only reason.

[Bloodreign]

Till the Vic Viper is built, no space exploration for anyone.

As a child I hoped to one day see more moon missions for our space program, now it looks like we've given up the idea of exploring our solar system and beyond.

[Flame]

for the time being, the US will now send Astronauts aboard Russian Shuttles.

You realize this means Russia has technically gotten the last laugh in the space race right? They lost the space race, but their program outlasted ours.

He who laughs last laughs best i guess. Once the country comes back around and all this war bullshit is behind us, (read: not in any of our or our children's lifetimes most likely) the shuttle program will eventually make it's comeback. I wont be satisfied until we hit Pluto and come to the realization that it IS in fact, a planet.