Special Star Trek Song Beamed Up To Space Shuttle

Hi Gang:
I just came across this and thought you would find this to be of interest even though it has nothing to do with my usual areas of concern- immigration and border security.
Our nation has been known as the “Can Do” nation for which no challenge was too great!   You could say that many of our achievements would have been “Mission Impossible” for any country other than the United States where such amazing achievements were simply “Mission Difficult!”
With real leadership and vision- there is just about nothing the United States cannot do!
For those who call themselves our “leaders” the time has come for them to really start leading- or follow- or get out of the way!
-michael cutler-

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Special Star Trek Song Beamed Up To Space Shuttle

by Nancy Atkinson on March 7, 2011

William
Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek
television series, provided a very special message to the crew of space
shuttle Discovery during the STS-133 Flight Day 12 wakeup call.

With
strains of Alexander Courage’s famous theme song from Star Trek
playing, Shatner replaced the original television introduction with,
“Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the Space
Shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To
build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To
boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before.”


The team from ReelNASA put together this video.

The
“Theme from Star Trek” received the second most votes in a public
contest from a Top 40 list for NASA’s Song Contest. The top two songs
with the most votes from that list earned a slot on the list to wake
Discovery’s crew during its final mission. The first place song was Blue Sky by Big Head Todd and the Monsters
and will be the wake-up music at 3:23 a.m. Tuesday for Discovery’s
final full day in space. The song is a tribute written for the first
post-Columbia flight, STS-114.

Discovery undocked this morning
from the ISS, and NASA TV provided spectacular views of both the shuttle
backdropped by Earth and the International Space Station in its almost
final configuration floating against the blackness of space. We’ll
provide some images soon.

Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center at 11:58 am EST on Wednesday, March 9.

Endeavour Mated to Rockets for Last Flight Photo Album

by Ken Kremer on March 8, 2011


http://www.universetoday.com/83674/endeavour-mated-to-rockets-for-last-flight-photo-album/


Space Shuttle Endeavour in VAB for Final Lift and Mate to Rocket Boosters.
Endeavour was hoisted to the roof of the 52 story VAB and was then attached for the last time to External fuel tank and Solid Rocket Boosters that will power her last ascent to space on the STS-134 mission in April 2011. Then she will be retired from active duty service and sit in a museum yet to be chosen.
All the orbiters could be usefully flown for many more years but for lack of money from the US Federal Government and the US Congress. Credit: Ken Kremer



For the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, I was privileged to be one of the lucky few to be an eyewitness to how the orbiter was hoisted and attached for the last time to the External fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters that will power her last ascent to space on the STS-134 mission . Thereafter she will be retired from active duty service.

“Lift and Mate” is the formal name for the nearly day and a half long intricate process to join Endeavour to the fuel tank and rocket boosters and took place after the orbiter was hauled inside the 52 story Vehicle Assembly Building atop a 76 wheeled transporter on Feb. 28.

Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) secure yellow metal sling to Endeavour prior to lift from the VAB transfer aisle into High Bay 3 on 1 March 2011. Credit: Ken Kremer

Lift and Mate is a jaw dropping and unforgettable experience because you see the orbiter suspended in mid air as though it was flying in space. While hanging in the air by thin cables, the 100 ton orbiter is reminiscent to me of what astronauts on the International Space Station surely see as the shuttle approaches for docking.

Following the shuttles rollover to the VAB on top on the transporter, technicians initially attached a large yellow, metal sling to Endeavour in the center area of the VAB – known as the transfer aisle.

Endeavour was then slowly and methodically hoisted on pulleys and chains into the vertical position. The tail came to rest just a few meters from the hard and unforgiving concrete floor. The orbiter was then lifted up to the VAB ceiling and carefully moved over walkways into High Bay 3. Media including myself watched this entire process in total awe from several different levels inside the VAB as Endeavour was lifted past us from just a few meters away.

The final step was to lower Endeavour into position for mating to the fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already awaiting her arrival.
Its hard to believe I was really an eyewitness to this majestic event and also sadly realize it will never happen again.

“The orbiter has a lot of life left in her,” said a top shuttle manager to me. “The shuttle could fly many more missions.”


Large yellow sling set to be attached to Endeavour. Credit: Ken Kremer

NASA will rollout Endeavour to Launch Pad 39 A on March 9 following the landing of Space Shuttle Discovery.

The STS-134 mission will be the 25th and final flight for shuttle Endeavour. Launch is set for April 19. Endeavour will haul the $2 Billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to orbit and attach it to the ISS. AMS will search for dark matter and seek to determine the origin of the universe.

Check out the majestic views of “Lift and Mate” for Space Shuttle Endeavour in my photo album herein

Final “Lift and Mate” of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Photos by Ken Kremer


Space Shuttle Endeavour in VAB for Lift and Mate. Credit: Ken Kremer

Overhead view of Space Shuttle Endeavour in VAB for Lift and Mate. Credit: Ken Kremer

Overhead view of Space Shuttle Endeavour in VAB for Lift and Mate from Level 16. Credit: Ken Kremer

Belly view of Space Shuttle Endeavour coated with thousands of heat shield tiles. Two rectangular attach points hold left and right side main separation bolts from ET Credit: Ken Kremer

Lifting Endeavour. Credit: Ken Kremer

Belly view of Space Shuttle Endeavour and heat shield tiles. Credit: Ken Kremer

Endeavour goes Vertical. Credit: Ken Kremer

Rotating Vertical Endeavour. Credit: Ken Kremer

Lowering Endeavour to Solid Rocket Boosters and External fuel tank inside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

Lowering Endeavour in High Bay 3 to SRBs and ET inside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

Lowering Endeavour to SRB’s and ET inside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

Lowering Endeavour to SRB’s and ET inside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

Endeavour disappears behind scaffolding while it is lowered to SRB’s and ET inside VAB. Credit: Ken Kremer

Endeavour disappears behind scaffolding while it is lowered to SRB’s and ET inside VAB. Tip of ET visible here above nose of Endeavour. Credit: Ken Kremer

Ken Kremer and Space Shuttle Endeavour in the VAB for Lift and Mate to Booster rocket

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