space shuttle future

[MarkD]

These two pics show what it will look like next year.

http://media.delawarenorth.com/images/10036/Shuttle%20display%20concept%202.JPG

http://media.spacetimesnews.com/media/img/photos/2011/04/13/kennedy_space_center_t607.jpg

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Awarded Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (http://media.kennedyspacecenter.com/kennedy/news/shuttlediplay.htm)

[Sun'tey]

You know, if you would live Korolev, we would now have been already on Mars, and even on Pandora

[MarkD]

Von Braun also dreamed the same thing, but politics cut the program.

[Sun'tey]

Korolev just been the smartest person, and indeed the Russian scientists were the most talented .... but they were in the camps stalenkskih

[MarkD]

Korolev's legacy is what is done today at Roscosmos , Russia's version of NASA.

Soon, Tuesday afternoon we'll see a Soyuz launch to the station from Kazakhstan. Expedition 28/29 launches.

I think if either famous space engineer was alive today they would be very happy to see some of their dreams realized.

One thing that would be cool for the shuttle program, both that of NASA and Roscosmos is if Russia's shuttle kept flying and to see two space shuttle from both countries at the International Space Station.

Here is a cool photo as an example from the recent shuttle mission, STS-134. You see space shuttle Endeavour at the ISS photographed by a Russian Soyuz. http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/148/5/1/endeavour_and_iss_docked_by_onigojirakaiju-d3hf0e7.jpg all that is missing is the Russian shuttle Buran or any of the sister orbiters that were to fly after it, docked opposite shuttle Endeavour.

My sketch here shows Buran on top and Discovery below. http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/057/4/d/space_shuttles_compared_by_onigojirakaiju-d3afjww.jpg Easy to tell them apart by design.