Curious about ATSer's opinions.

I'm actually really curious to see which space mission people are more intrigued about, interested in, or excited about.

The two biggest ones I can think of so far is the obvious Herschel & Planck, and then the James E. Webb Space Telescope, which will replace Hubble mid-2013.

Sure there are tons more missions carried out by agencies all over the world, but in my opinion, these are the biggest two, and I can personally say I cannot wait until the Webb Telescope is functioning.

Anyone else?

The James Webb telescope all the way!
Herschel is cool too but hubble has given us some of the greatest pictures ever and to know that the James Webb telescope is what's supposed to be taking over for hubble means that it has to give us better stuff.

Originally posted by Schmidt1989
I'm actually really curious to see which space mission people are more intrigued about, interested in, or excited about.

Is this open to old missions also? Because this one is my personal favorite:

MOL_Manned_Orbiting_Laboratory

The only launch of the MOL program took place on Nov. 3, 1966, when a Titan IIIC lifted off from Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral AFS, with an unmanned Gemini B & mockup MOL containing 3 small satellites. MOL was to use a "man-rated" Titan IIIM similar to this, but the booster wasn't ready in time for flight tests. MOLs were to launch from Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6/"Slick-6") at Vandenberg AFB, CA. Vandenberg could launch to polar orbits which would bring everyplace on Earth under the watchful eye of the KH-10, including Soviet sub bases above the Arctic Circle.

The end came in the summer of 1969. Spy satellite technology surpassed MOL's capabilities, and the USAF could no longer afford it. The program was cancelled on June 10, 1969. Thousands of jobs were cut. But MOL pilots Overmyer, Bobko, Peterson, Fullerton, Hartsfield, Crippen, & Truly went to NASA, and went on to fly Shuttle missions. MOL & Titan IIIM never flew, although its improvements were incorporated into the Titan III family. SLC-6 was closed, rebuilt for the Shuttle, closed again, and only recently began launching satellites.

I suppose the shuttle orbiter was more economical, but I still don't think it would take too much money to launch a few dozen MOL's, considering the tech is almost 40 years old now and certainly all aspects of the MOL must now be factorially cheaper?

This seems to be a very stable, useful platform. Certainly in the next 200 years there will be dozens of nations who wish to emulate tech that we've basically shelved? It is interesting to contemplate just how effective the tech of old, can be.

But I think you were talking about recent 'going to out into space' missions. That stuff doesn't interest me as it seems to be an escape from the deeper aspects of what the MOL is about.

But okay if I have to pick a recent mission I'd say fixing the Hubble here right now is exciting, and surely worth the time and energy. That thing is wondrous and contributes directly to a deepening of inner-space.

I think a lot of good things can be learned without actually leaving orbit, as is the case with both the Hubble and the MOL. One looks outward, and one looked downward. In both cases, information is gathered. Isn't that exciting?

reply to post by Schmidt1989


Personally I am most interested in neither of those options. I am ready for the manned mission to Mars myself. Or maybe get a sneak peak at the real space missions, but Mars will do.

I'm most interested in NASA's space platform idea they've been throwing around.

A refueling platform for Shuttles and another space base for scientists to study whatever it is they do up there.

~Keeper

How far ahead can we go into? If my imagination could be not confined to planned or even possible missions, i would go for space elevator project. Small leap for elevator - giant step for humanity sort of thing (yes i know it is backwards.).
And second place - Jkrog08's mission to Mars.Thanks to him we would have a whole new planet to terraform and then dig and pollute!

I think before starting to think even of Mars, we'd have a better time thinking about implanting permanent colonies on the moon itself.

That also gives an enormous advantage: if we were to send a craft from the moon rather than from the earth, to wherever, it needs far less power & fuel to be propelled... I reckon it still needs to be transported there, or at least built there, but the gain is not neglectable.

reply to post by Schmidt1989


So many to choose from, but some of the upcoming ones that I'm looking forward to are the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which should launch in June. I'm also really looking forward to the Mars Science Laboratory which is planned for sometime in 2011. There's also New Horizons which is already on it's way to Pluto, but it's still going to be a while till it gets there.

Originally posted by Schmidt1989
I'm actually really curious to see which space mission people are more intrigued about, interested in, or excited about.

Currently, it would have to be the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. For truly, they have seen places where no man has seen before...

My hats off to the world's greatest space observatories!

Unless you mean current missions, there is only one possible candidate: Apollo.

You can't beat heroism.

I agree with you SpookyVince it would be great to build a base on the moon to launch space missions.