http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/spaceshuttle.jpg
Probably last time ever we will see this in our lifetime. :-(
Photo from cult of Mac
Shuttle headed to final rusting place.

Great pic indeed. Looks like it was photoshopped to Glory but it sure is an iconic sight.

Well, Discovery is headed for the Smithsonian, so it has earned it's place in history and a well earned rest.

Great pic indeed. Looks like it was photoshopped to Glory but it sure is an iconic sight.

The first time I heard of an "iconic sight" it was in reference to Joe Rosenthal's picture of "The Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima".

If the picture of Discovery was real, talk about being at the right place at the right time.

When I was a kid in grade school, I was in Oshawa at an outdoor track and field meet. I saw a plane go by with the Space Shuttle on top of it, and where I was sitting in the bleachers, I was the only one who saw it. I told so many people, friends and family, but no one believed that I saw the Space Shuttle flying by on top of an airplane. :o

Still remember the sight of it as clear as day. Neat to see a photograph of it on it's last voyage.

When I was a kid in grade school, I was in Oshawa at an outdoor track and field meet. I saw a plane go by with the Space Shuttle on top of it, and where I was sitting in the bleachers, I was the only one who saw it. I told so many people, friends and family, but no one believed that I saw the Space Shuttle flying by on top of an airplane. :o

Still remember the sight of it as clear as day. Neat to see a photograph of it on it's last voyage.

I remember it going over Toronto circa 1983--in the middle of a fog. Sounded fantastic...

From what I understand the photo was of the second flag raising.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_the_Flag_on_Iwo_Jima)

Ira Hayes was one of the marines who helped raise the flag and his is a also great story.

Ira Hayes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Ira Hamilton Hayes http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Ira_Hayes.jpg/220px-Ira_Hayes.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ira_Hayes.jpg) Nickname Chief Falling Cloud Born January 12, 1923(1923-01-12)
Sacaton, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacaton,_Arizona) Died January 24, 1955(1955-01-24) (aged 32)
Sacaton, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacaton,_Arizona) Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery), Section 34 Allegiance http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) United States of America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) Service/branch http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Marine_corps_flag.svg/25px-Marine_corps_flag.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marine_corps_flag.svg) United States Marine Corps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps) Years of service 1942 - 1945 Rank http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/USMC-E4.svg/20px-USMC-E4.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-E4.svg) Corporal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal#United_States) Unit 3rd Parachute Battalion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramarines)
2nd Battalion, 28th Marines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Battalion,_28th_Marines)
1st Headquarters Battalion, HQMC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headquarters_Marine_Corps) Battles/wars World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II)


Bougainville Campaign (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainville_campaign_%281944-45%29)
Battle of Iwo Jima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima)

Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a Pima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pima) Native American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas) and an American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) Marine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps) who was one of the six men immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_the_Flag_on_Iwo_Jima) during World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II).[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes#cite_note-0)[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes#cite_note-1)



Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_River_Indian_Community) in Sacaton, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacaton,_Arizona), and enlisted in the Marine Forces Reserve (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Forces_Reserve) on August 24, 1942. He trained as a Paramarine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramarine) and saw action in the Pacific Theatre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War) of World War II. On February 19, 1945, Hayes participated in the landing at Iwo Jima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwo_Jima) and fought in the subsequent battle for the island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima). On February 23, Hayes, together with fellow Marines Rene Gagnon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rene_Gagnon), Harlon Block (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlon_Block), Franklin Sousley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Sousley), and Mike Strank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Strank), and Navy Corpsman John Bradley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradley_%28Navy%29), raised the American flag over Mount Suribachi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Suribachi), an event photographed by Joe Rosenthal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rosenthal).


As a result of Rosenthal's photograph, Hayes and the others became national heroes in the United States. He was instrumental in confirming the identity of one of his fellow Marines in the photograph, Harlon Block. Hayes was never comfortable with his new-found fame, however, and after his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps he descended into alcoholism. He died of exposure and alcohol poisoning on January 24, 1955 after a night of drinking, and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery).


Hayes was often commemorated in art and film, both before and after his death. He is depicted in the Marine Corps War Memorial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_War_Memorial) at Arlington National Cemetery, based on the famous photograph, and he portrayed himself in the 1949 film Sands of Iwo Jima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sands_of_Iwo_Jima). His tragic story was the subject of the 1961 film The Outsider (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outsider_%281961_film%29), and inspired Peter La Farge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_La_Farge)'s song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Ira_Hayes)". He was also depicted in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_Our_Fathers).


...

After the war, Hayes attempted to lead a normal civilian life. "I kept getting hundreds of letters. And people would drive through the reservation, walk up to me and ask, 'Are you the Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?'"[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes#cite_note-Viola-9) Although he rarely spoke about the flag raising, he spoke about his service in the Marine Corps with great pride.


After returning home from the war, Hayes remained troubled that one of his friends, Harlon Block (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlon_Block), one of the flag raisers who was killed in action (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action) days after, was mistaken for another man, Hank Hansen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Hansen). Hayes later hitchhiked 1,300 miles from the Gila River Indian Community to Edward Frederick Block, Sr.'s farm in Weslaco, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weslaco,_Texas) in order to reveal the truth to Block's family. He was instrumental in having the controversy resolved, to the delight and gratitude of the Block family.
Ira Hayes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes)

The first time I heard of an "iconic sight" it was in reference to Joe Rosenthal's picture of "The Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima".

If the picture of Discovery was real, talk about being at the right place at the right time.

Dr. G, I am sure the shuttle flew by the White House like that - I just mean the whole photo was 'massaged' to look as great as it does.

I love that Iwo Jima picture. "Iconic" is the word for it. A few years ago now I read a great book: Surgeon In Iwo: Up Front With the 27th Marines by James Vedder. Great account of a horrific battle.

Dr. G, I am sure the shuttle flew by the White House like that - I just mean the whole photo was 'massaged' to look as great as it does.

I love that Iwo Jima picture. "Iconic" is the word for it. A few years ago now I read a great book: Surgeon In Iwo: Up Front With the 27th Marines by James Vedder. Great account of a horrific battle.

Yes, I saw on the news that it got clearance to fly near the White House, so the picture was real ............... saw video of it flying around the Washington Monument.

eMacMan, if you like the story of Ira Hayes, read "Flags of our Fathers", and then see the Clint Eastwood movie of the same title. Great read and a great movie.

Having lived in Florida when the shuttle program was active, the photo naturally makes me a little sad. I watched many, many launches (and one notable explosion) from the flat ground of (usually) Orlando, 90 miles away from Cape Canaveral but this hardly mattered when the land is so flat. Night launches in particular were remarkable.

On occasion I was in nearby Cocoa Beach when one went up. But it was always an event.

The "coming back" was generally less so. When it would return, our windows would rattle (usually early in the morning) and we'd get hit with the sonic "boom"

the photo was on cult of mac yesterday.. I think they got it from a user that posted on instagram.. that silly software that massages photos.. - raw would of been better.. but the subject matter is what matters.
that photo alone speaks volumes to me..
- says the dominance of US - NASA, to be overrun by Soviets and China
- also shows how broke the US really is.. by not having a replacement ready to go..

Have heard the double boom of one landing but was about a 2 hour drive north when I ran out of energy on our way to see a launch and the weather was iffy.

Woke up and it had gone :(

While we were doing other stuff and heard it landing a week later I was disappointed.

NASA is a superb daylong adventure for anyone that has not been - they did a great job and included other nations. NASA is one program the US can be very proud of.

Bought some of the shuttle paintings ( limited edition prints ) - might actually be worth something now.

This is Lightship - the artist Attila died in 2007 at 52 - a shame. NASA spoke highly of his work.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-130547148227411_2196_19346

probably my fav is Cape of Winds

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-130547148227411_2196_7120436

As to dominance - the US has never led in heavy lift - the USSR was and is far ahead in both power and reliability tho the Arienne Ithing now can lift the most.

It needs to be a world effort and I'm quite happy to see the cooperation of the big powers - it is clearly reflected in the display at NASA which is very international.

The real shame is the attack on science which includes NASA NOAA and others in the pantheon of American science institutions. We aren't immune here either - Harper is a fellow traveller with the Ruglyicans in that regard. :mad:

If you read the backstory on NASA and in particular the moon effort you'll see how the Canadian contingent of aero-space engineers were critical to it's success after the disgrace of the Avro Aero fiasco - a Conservative black blot.

Story is here
ADA-The Avro Engineers who went to NASA (http://www.avroarrow.org/AvroArrow/Avroengineers.html)

Following the Canadian government's cancellation of the Avro Arrow project in 1959, Chamberlin led a team of 25 engineers from Avro who joined NASA's Space Task Group. This group eventually grew to 32 former Avro engineers who joined NASA and become emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a brain drain to the United States. As head of engineering for Project Mercury, chief designer and NASA's first Project Manager for the Gemini spacecraft built by McDonnell Aircraft, and then troubleshooter on Apollo, Chamberlin played an instrumental role in creating and implementing the first three generations of American crewed spacecraft. .[4]

Chamberlin was chiefly responsible for designing the Gemini spacecraft and was the first Project Manager for Gemini (Gemini 7 shown in a photo from Gemini 6 on December 15, 1965)
While designing the Gemini spacecraft in 1961, Chamberlin proposed that Gemini be paired with a “bug” that would land a single astronaut on the Moon. Chamberlin had been impressed with NASA engineer John Houbolt’s advocacy of Lunar orbit rendezvous as the method to go to the Moon. Although Chamberlin’s idea of flying Gemini to the Moon was rejected, it helped lead NASA to its decision in 1962 to use Lunar Orbit Rendezvous in the Apollo program, which involved using the Lunar Module (LM) to descend to the lunar surface.[5]
Chamberlin was described by space historian David Baker as “probably one of the most brilliant men ever to work for NASA.”[6]

The Democrats killed manned space exploration MacDoc.

So many cool topics... spoiled by interjections of politics. :rolleyes:

So many cool topics... spoiled by interjections of politics. :rolleyes:

I deliberately held off on saying anything political throughout this thread. However, it's just not in me to sit mute while someone else makes unfounded political accusations. To me, this is like saying that U2 isn't the best band in the world. Who could sit quietly?

The Democrats killed manned space exploration MacDoc.

An all party effort to be sure. The lack of focus certainly began under the Shrub. BO simply decided that the MIC spending outranked NASA.

Sadly the truth is that both parties fail to see the value in space exploration. The result is the retirement of the shuttle with no real future purpose outlined or funded.

For all of that the Space Shuttle was an incredible program and the Photo represents brilliantly.

The space age: 1957-2012.

Meh, to me that image is overcooked ersatz Americana. I much prefer this (http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/details/2913/hitch-hiking_space_shuttle.html) clear shot on Interfacelift. Various sizes are available for download as wallpaper.

This is Lightship - the artist Attila died in 2007 at 52 - a shame. NASA spoke highly of his work.



Amazing paintings...

The space age: 1957-2012.
So true! I remember as a kid right up to now as an adult being excited about space explorations and now it seems in my lifetime not likely. Kinda makes all the sci-fi movies old and new just pure fantasy. Heck watched 2001: A Space Odyssey not long ago and to see none of the events happened in 2001 and later just sad. No real space station, no moon station and no manned trip to Jupiter.

So true! I remember as a kid right up to now as an adult being excited about space explorations and now it seems in my lifetime not likely. Kinda makes all the sci-fi movies old and new just pure fantasy. Heck watched 2001: A Space Odyssey not long ago and to see none of the events happened in 2001 and later just sad. No real space station, no moon station and no manned trip to Jupiter.

Yep... we had to spend all that money on bombing the crap out of tiny undeveloped countries (OMG terrorists!), a completely ineffectual war on drugs, massive corporate welfare programs, and tax cuts for the rich.

Yep... we had to spend all that money on bombing the crap out of tiny undeveloped countries (OMG terrorists!), a completely ineffectual war on drugs, massive corporate welfare programs, and tax cuts for the rich.

And a massive welfare entitlement culture.

And a massive welfare entitlement culture.

Yep... just about every corporation has it's hand out looking for tax breaks these days.

Yep... just about every corporation has it's hand out looking for tax breaks these days.

And half the citizens of the U.S. are on the dole in some way.

I'm going to make a separate political forum (Aka garbage bin) and just dump and political crap in there soon. :mad:

This STUPID left/right wing political bickering that infects threads on ehMac like a virus is getting so bloody frustrating to me.

It drives people away from ehMac. It's boring. It's repetitious. It's redundant. It's predictable.

The left / right wing political rhetoric is like pressing play on a tape recorder that plays over and over and over and over and over and over.

http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif

I'm going to make a separate political forum (Aka garbage bin) and just dump and political crap in there soon. :mad:

This STUPID left/right wing political bickering that infects threads on ehMac like a virus is getting so bloody frustrating to me.

It drives people away from ehMac. It's boring. It's repetitious. It's redundant. It's predictable.

The left / right wing political rhetoric is like pressing play on a tape recorder that plays over and over and over and over and over and over.

http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif

Where is that Like button?

+1,000,000

I'm going to make a separate political forum (Aka garbage bin) and just dump and political crap in there soon. :mad:

This STUPID left/right wing political bickering that infects threads on ehMac like a virus is getting so bloody frustrating to me.

It drives people away from ehMac. It's boring. It's repetitious. It's redundant. It's predictable.

The left / right wing political rhetoric is like pressing play on a tape recorder that plays over and over and over and over and over and over.

http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif

Agreed... But the really frustrating thing is the personal attacks based on a perceived political inclination... it doesn't matter how many times one says " I think for myself" you get painted a certain way...

Some people are more politically inclined than others, (my grandmother used to blame the weather on Diefenbaker) others less so.

By nature I am not very political, by occupation very much so... probably accounts for my recent jaw pain which my dentist diagnosed was a sign of stress.

I started coming to ehMac to buy a computer and soon started to post in other threads as this was the first forum I ever belonged to... it was fun and the reason why I have continued to stay.

Over the last 18 months or so it has become far much less fun and increasingly confrontational which I have participated in because I was ostracized as child being a fat kid and so learned never to back down from a fight or give in to bullies, that just makes them stronger.

So I fight, despite it not being my nature... When I first came to ehMac I was taken aback by how rude people could be with strangers and soon adapted to what seemed to be the norm... I wasn't happy about it but it seemed to be accepted... sink or swim... I was always have been and always will be a natural born swimmer and for that I make no apologies...

If ehMac is to become "kinder and gentler" I personally feel it needs a higher level of moderation... People get away with far too much IMO when it comes to personal insults and posting. The latest confrontation with gt is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how many times he has made personal assaults... DIRECT personal assaults, that have gone unchecked except by those subject to them, without apology.

Far more concerning in the end than a right/left divide which will always exist but with proper moderation (like a Speaker of the House) can always be kept to a minimum.

I pledge to wait 12 hours before responding to a nonsense political comment in a topic like this. If the original comment is still there, I will assume that it's fair game to respond to.

I'm going to make a separate political forum (Aka garbage bin) and just dump and political crap in there soon. :mad:

This STUPID left/right wing political bickering that infects threads on ehMac like a virus is getting so bloody frustrating to me.

It drives people away from ehMac. It's boring. It's repetitious. It's redundant. It's predictable.

The left / right wing political rhetoric is like pressing play on a tape recorder that plays over and over and over and over and over and over.

http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif
I agree.
The name is Harper not Harpo and the Liberals, not fiberals. I, for one, would like to see intelligent discussion, not vitriol.

I'm going to make a separate political forum (Aka garbage bin) and just dump and political crap in there soon. :mad:

This STUPID left/right wing political bickering that infects threads on ehMac like a virus is getting so bloody frustrating to me.

It drives people away from ehMac. It's boring. It's repetitious. It's redundant. It's predictable.

The left / right wing political rhetoric is like pressing play on a tape recorder that plays over and over and over and over and over and over.

http://planetsmilies.net/vomit-smiley-31.gif

Yep.

I've come to enjoy political debate and discussion, but when people start point to others and screaming LEFT and RIGHT and making up stuff about each must apparently believe, well, it's just boring.

I agree.
The name is Harper not Harpo and the Liberals, not fiberals. I, for one, would like to see intelligent discussion, not vitriol.

Yes... It's not so much the topic probably as how it's discussed (And where).

I long so much for ehMac to be a forum again where it's just about good quality information being shared among friends.

The left / right Political "debate" (And religious for that matter) just turns into these... Ahh... I'm even sick of talking about it. I just want it to go away.

Yes... It's not so much the topic probably as how it's discussed (And where).

I long so much for ehMac to be a forum again where it's just about good quality information being shared among friends.

The left / right Political "debate" (And religious for that matter) just turns into these... Ahh... I'm even sick of talking about it. I just want it to go away.

You can close the threads and/or delete them. What are you afraid of? The question you have to answer is will you lose or gain any new customers because there is no Everything Else forum.

You can close the threads and/or delete them. What are you afraid of? The question you have to answer is will you lose or gain any new customers because there is no Everything Else forum.

I suspect what will happen is that someone will just start a new thread to start up the same fight.

We could put politics back into its own subforum and let it die its own slow death again.

I wish I had a solution other than 'don't feed the trolls' (but it's hard to ignore, I admit) and 'meanwhile, back on the original topic ...'

Anyway, here's a little clip back on topic: WEF captured a clip of history in the making as @NASA flew Discovery over the DC skies this morning. #SpotTheShuttle (http://yfrog.com/5d11734446z)

I suspect what will happen is that someone will just start a new thread to start up the same fight.

We could put politics back into its own subforum and let it die its own slow death again.

There are 5 mods here. Should be able to remove any unwanted threads. Other well known and productive forums I have been a part of are moderated heavily and work because the info you need is right there and any new info if not in its right place is put in its place quickly.

We have a rule here at work. No politics or religion discussion. They can't be debated without emotion. So we discuss Macs, iPhones, Photography, Movies, and business. Everyone works peacefully.

There are 5 mods here. Should be able to remove any unwanted threads. Other well known and productive forums I have been a part of are moderated heavily and work because the info you need is right there and any new info if not in its right place is put in its place quickly.

We have a rule here at work. No politics or religion discussion. They can't be debated without emotion. So we discuss Macs, iPhones, Photography, Movies, and business. Everyone works peacefully.

I can think of more than 5 people here who have to rise to every perceived 'attack' and comment.... and sometimes they don't seem to be that busy. :lmao:

Gosh folks, whats the big problem? If I'm attending a party, I talk and listen to the people who interest me--not the others. These are public threads, not private chat rooms, and heavy moderation is slow death for any public forum.

So, anyway, apparently the shuttle is going to be housed at the Smithsonian. Has anyone ever been? I'd like to go sometime. I've never been, but I sort of imagine it's similar to the British Museum. Anyone been to both who could offer a comparison?

You can close the threads and/or delete them. What are you afraid of? The question you have to answer is will you lose or gain any new customers because there is no Everything Else forum.

Never once entertained not having an Everything Else forum.

So, anyway, apparently the shuttle is going to be housed at the Smithsonian. Has anyone ever been? I'd like to go sometime. I've never been, but I sort of imagine it's similar to the British Museum. Anyone been to both who could offer a comparison?

I've been to the Smithsonian, but to visit it for a day is not to say much. I had time to see the aeronautic and space stuff and part of the popular culture museum over one long day. Very impressive. I think it would take a week to do it justice.

Heck of a lucky shot.

9ASL0oS5ksU

Heck of a lucky shot.

9ASL0oS5ksU

wow, is amazing.. last time in our history that will ever to happen :(
lucky folks ...