The end is near

Check out these awesome Space Shuttle pictures that will give you some perspective on how big that thing really is. Those pictures got me thinking about something. Do you realize that the Space Shuttle has been around nearly as long as I've been alive and it has been the dominate link to space since 1977. If you are an American in your 30s there is no way you that don't remember the Challenger Disaster of 1986, it's almost my generation's Kennedy moment. So it's sad to realize that the Shuttle is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2011, bringing to an end an entire era of space exploration. To most people the Space Shuttle defines NASA and I worry about the public perception once the shuttle is gone.

Now I'm not saying that its not time to put the Shuttle out to pasture but after 120 successful flights, and two disasters, it would be nice to replace it with a new platform. It looks as if NASA is going to kill the Shuttle with no viable replacement near completion. That just seems like a really bad idea, but then no one seems to give a shit about space exploration any more.