Shuttle Discovery set for final liftoff tomorrow at 7:52pm

Space Shuttle Discovery, which had originally been meant to lift off yesterday, will now depart on its final flight tomorrow following last-minute repairs. Sign counting down to the final launch of Shuttle Discovery. Credit: NASA Last chance to see Space Transportation System mission 133 (STS-133, the official NASA name …

[It wasnt me]

How much....

.....cash needed for a citizen funded venture to keep this thing flying ? A la Vulcan......

Ill start with a pledge of a tenner.

[Anonymous Coward]

RE: How much

Good idea, I'll pledge a tenner too.

Anyone know how to raise $449,999,980?

I've got some old PS/2 keyboards I could ebay, should get a couple of quid.

[Trevor_Pott]

Count me in.

$50 a month - per shuttle - to keep 'em going. Gods help me, if a privately funded space program is the only way, I'd do my part. I don't want to see our future slip away. Nor do I believe these beautiful ladies deserve such an ignoble fate as to be retired without replacement.

Fair winds, Discovery. May your final journey see you safely home to rest. I'll drink a pint in your honour tonight.

[John Smith 19]

@It wasnt me

Well that depends...

Various numbers have been touted for a launch. IIRC it's somewhere between $50-150M.

But its the *standing* army that's the trouble.

c6000 people @ c$125k/PA (including all support costs). That's c$750-800m/PA

And of course you'll need to retain the *infrastructure* which was due to be switched to Ares/Orion.

I think the ball park number is $1Bn/PA.

You'll need to organize a bit of a whip round.

Perhaps a sponsored event?

[Anonymous Coward]

has flown almost three times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

3.141529653

Going for half an orbital radius then?

[nordwars]

This makes me sad.

nt

[Winkypop]

Sad to see the future slip away

I watched man walk on the moon in 1969.

I thought by now we would have done more, much more.

Alas, it was not to be.

[Anonymous Coward]

By the time we get to the stars...

> the first African-American to perform a spacewalk

We can lift 10 tons into orbit still can't seem to lift ourselves above this kind of crude labelling. :-(

[The Indomitable Gall]

I always wondered...

I always wondered why there's no such category as "European American"....

[Radelix]

Why?

it gets broken down but only from certain countries like Ireland and Italy. otherwise you are "white" unless of course you aren't.

[sebacoustic]

PARIS

in the light of more recent space endeavours, it's good to see that the Playmonaut has taken over, Discovery can rest in peace.

[Anonymous Coward]

time to worry?

If the mice are leaving, does that mean the Vogons will arrive soon?

[Anonymous Coward]

Life should imitate art

It's all so boring and pointless anyway. They should send someone like Homer Simpson into orbit to rekindle interest in this boring and pointless activity.

[thecakeis(not)alie]

Sad.

Good luck old friend.

[John Smith 19]

Last chance to test permanent waterproofing

But I guess it's a bit late in the day for that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mice?

What about some Playmonauts?????

[Graham Marsden]

podules...?

I sense an incoming lawsuit!