Space Shuttle Discovery Ready For Its Final Flight To Smithsonian

The space shuttle Discovery will make it's final flight tomorrow atop a special 747, traveling from the Kennedy Space Center to the Smithsonian's Air & Space Hanger at Dulles International Airport.  The Washington Post has a cool little animation today about the shuttle's final journey and how they got it on top of the 747 above.  On April 19th, they will tow the shuttle in to it's final resting place at the Udvar-Hazy Museum, as it replaces the space shuttle Enterprise which will be coming to New York City this summer for display at the USS Intrepid.  

I remember when they flew the Enterprise around the Beltway on it's journey to Dulles back in 1985 and I actually got to see it on top of the 747.  This time, though, NASA is not releasing the exact flight plan due to security concerns. It's too bad as it was so cool to see the shuttle flying, even if it was on the back of a 747.  I think it was extra exciting too because it was like a real life version of the opening scene from the James Bond film MOONRAKER, minus the disastrous fate of the 747 when the shuttle is fired up and stolen by the bad guys! That was awesome...if totally unrealistic.

SPECIAL: Take A Ride On The Space Shuttle's Booster

Here's a video I noticed on FB the other day of a ride on the space shuttle, taken from the vantage of the solid rocket boosters that life the STS into orbit and then fall back down to earth.  It's one of the most incredible views of space travel I've seen. Not to mention the actual soundtrack too.  I never realized the solid rocket boosters really got so high, up to 28 miles exactly...their release is wild, like something EFX wizards concocted but it's actually real. Also, stick with this through to the end to the splash landing in the Atlantic.  Extraordinary!

My Nomination for Photo of the Year

In the year-end countdown to the last days of 2011, there are lists everywhere.  Top 10 movies, songs, political stories and even over at Instyle.com, the top 10 celebrity hair makeovers of 2011!  One list I've seen a few places which I always enjoy is the top 10 photographs of the year.  National Geographic has some typically stunning photos in their gallery whereas Time.com has a more newsy gallery with 40 pics.

But my personal favorite photo of the year is one that I didn't even see until a couple days ago.  It's a stunning picture of the space shuttle's final voyage last May.  The picture  also has an unusual story behind it because it was not taken by a photojournalist, or even with a real camera.  It's a snapshot from the iPhone of a passenger on a commercial flight who happened to look out the window and see the Endeavor climbing towards space on the long, sinewy trail of its white exhaust.  Not only is the photo historic for capturing the last trip of the shuttle but it is simply beautiful as well, revealing an angle on spaceflight that had never been seen before.  At least not by me....

Stephanie Gordon, from Hoboken, NJ, shot the photo and didn't think too much of it until, after sending it to a friend.  That day, it went viral and she became instantly famous.  The picture also amped up the debate about photo rights and copyright on the the Internet.  But despite all that it is still a remarkable image and it has my vote for photo of the year.

To The Moon, NASA: Space Agency Reveals New Rocket

NASA announced its new post-Space Shuttle vehicle today, called the Space Launch System (SLS).  They also released a cool animation of the new rocket blasting into space. This new mega-rocket will be made with parts familiar from the Space Shuttle, like the solid rocket boosters and the shuttle's powerful main engines, all super-sized for maximum thrust to get to the moon (maybe) and beyond.

The new SLS will be able to lift 70 tons of spacecraft and/or materials into orbit and, eventually, as much as 130 tons.  The question is when.  Estimates vary depending on the funding of NASA by Congress.  And, given the problems there, the first launch date of 2017 seems optimistic at best.  Hopefully, Congress can see this for the jobs program it could be, especially in Florida where the new craft would be based.

A Picture That's Worth A Thousand Miles

I found this amazing photo on Towleroad today.  It's a shot of last month's launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, taken from the unique perspective of a pair of F15 fighter jets patrolling the Kennedy Space Center. This was Atlantis' last flight, with the entire Shuttle program set to end next year.  A truly stunning shot...