Shuttle Discovery Mission STS-121

[Mercedes Benzene]

Well, let me tell you. I LOVE the shuttle.
I think it is sad that all these problems have been ocurring lately, but it is about time to put the shuttle system out of its misery. It would be sad... really it would... but I think it is about time we started to work on the new moon vehicles... full steam ahead!
Obviously, we need the shuttle to finish the ISS, but with massive budget cuts, and increasing controversy in the integrity of the system, it is about time to move on...

[CraigD]

… was carried live on several major TV news channels.

What was new/better about the latest coverage:
As part of the Columbia review recommendations, cameras have been placed on the external fuel tank, so, for the first time, you could actually see a close-up image of the plasma “lightshow” around the orbiter’s wings and body during ascent, as well as the manually piloted ET separation maneuver, where the shuttle. Since these images can’t be seen from within the orbiter, and images from the ground are jumpy and lower-resolution, I believe these live TV pictures were the first time anyone’s ever seen of these spectacular phenomena and events.

What was bad about the coverage:
A “flight data” sidescreen display showing estimated height, speed, and downrange distance, and bearing a graphics company URL. Not only was it in noticeable (5%+) disagreement with the spoken mission control data, it failed to show the brief period of deceleration that follows SRB separation, where the orbiter+ET is actually unable to maintain its speed, until it reduces mass by burning a bit more fuel. The display was nicely rendered (competent professional color scheme, etc.), but less educational than it could have been (a triumph of style over substance?).

Public interest in the shuttle appears to be about where it’s always been: immediately after watching the launch, I went to a July 4th party, where out of about 35 people, only about 5 knew roughly when the launch had been scheduled, and I was the only one who actually watched it.

[Jay-qu]

We dont get coverage.. just a small note on radio stations afternoon news, bogus! So I have to watch it on the net..