Audra and Chuck offer an hour’s worth of commentary over the live NASA TV feed. They pick up around 15 minutes before the launch and wrap up with an approximately 30 minute post-launch discussion of the future of the space program. We hope you enjoy this bonus content! And if you’re a first-time GWC listener, you might want to back up to #278 as a better example of a normal GWC podcast.
Listening to it now! Woot!
I was happy to hear, I wasn’t the only one connecting the name of this Shuttle to the Stargate-verse.
Thanks fo your insights. A few abbreviations and concepts, like (sub)orbital I remembered after playing with the Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator last year.
I used to watch the launches and follow along in my Space Shuttle Operator’s Manual. I’m going to have to dig this out of storage. 
I loved this podcast! Thanks for recording it Chuck and Audra.
My Dad and I were talking about this last week. He was really down on America’s space program until I told him it was simply time for the American government to cut the cord. I likened the future of commercialize space travel to modern day commercial air travel, the CRAFT (Civilian Reserve Air Fleet) fleet or even trains. And after telling him that Space X and Boeing were both developing space vehicles he actually was really excited about it!
So much to talk about, but I’ll focus right now on the inflatable space habitat/hotel that Chuck mentioned during the podcast. NASA was developing the concept for the International Space Station and a possible mission to Mars called TransHab. TransHab was cancelled at least 4 years ago, but here’s some great online resources to go check out the concept!
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/history-expandable-spacecraft.php
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/station/transhab/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj-RPmgiE28
~Shooter Out
Wow. I’d never listened to a live shuttle launch, and was beating myself up that I missed this final one too. It’s such a powerful thing to listen to, even after the fact; I got very emotional. You guys gave a great commentary as well. It’s the end of an era, for sure, but I have great hopes for the future of space exploration.
Thank you.
BTW, I recently read Failure is Not An Option by Gene Kranz (one of the major Mercury/Gemini/Apollo mission controllers) - it’s a great description of Mission Control development from the Mercury program all the way to the Apollo era. It’s a very good read; he manages to mix technical details with emotional context quite well. I recommend that everyone check it out.
I missed Chuck’s running commentary during the launch on Twitter, glad this was the reason for it! Listened while on my walk, got chills all over again. Audra asks such great questions! Thanks guys, this was truly special
Photos from the first shuttle mission, STS-1 (note the 6 tonnes of white paint on the external fuel tank that Chuck was talking about)
Also from The Atlantic, and cool slide show about the history of the Shuttle Program. … Check out some familiar faces on slide 5
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/07/the-history-of-the-space-shuttle/100097/
I’m starting a political party, the Ferengi-Klingon party. Chuck/Audra '12!
Only the third shuttle launch I’ve seen live, really enjoyed it and also the bonus episode, nice mix of information and wonder at what is still one of mankind’s greatest achievements.
I’m still catching up and haven’t listened yet. I just wanted to post a video I took of the launch.
The 'talos clan were in Walt Disney World. While we walked into Epcot on the day of the launch, there was a crowd.
I asked someone, “What’s going on?”
They answered, “The Shuttle is about to lanuch.”
I got out my handy-dandy Flip and pressed record. I barely got it. It was amazing even several miles away.
Finally getting around to listening. Chuck’s enthusiasm is palpable. 
One thing, though. I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say that zero-G is “no big deal”. I understand what he meant, specifically the concept of “space sickness”, but zero-G is about as unnatural for humans as anything that exists. Without the constant stress of gravity, we lose bone density and muscle mass, which is why astronauts rarely stay in space for more than a few months at a time. There are various issues with fluid and gas circulation, as well, not to mention a general decline in the immune system. The training that astronauts go through helps reduce these somewhat, but I somehow doubt that a mostly untrained “average joe” will ever be able to handle more than brief periods of being in space without the creation of some sort of semi-magical artificial gravity.
Also, 'toons! 
[NASA and Space
](Also what I’ve learned so far. Muscles loose their strength in zero-G as you can see with all the people returning from space have to be carries since they have difficulties moving after the landing.
Something else that I thought of regarding Audra’s space housekeeper comment, radiation exposure over time. Very few Americans have seen close to a year in space. Part of the reason for that is the accumulative exposure to space radiation over time. In fact this remains one of the largest obstacles for a manned trip to Mars or a long term sustainable colony on the moon. One of the reasons astronauts receive a relatively large paycheck ( for government employees anyway) is because They are flying into space knowing and accepting these large health risks. Do people still want to fly into space? Crom yes. Would a housekeeper? I don’t know. But there are significant health risks, bone and muscle density loss and technological risks still associated with human space travel.
~ Shooter Out
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
All of the talk about bone loss, there is also the adventure of using a toilet in space. I HIGHLY recommend the book “Packing for Mars” by Mary Roach to learn how NASA is trying to learn about living in a cramped, weightless environment for a long time.
I’d like to add to my geek cred if I may.
With the fairly excellent Ipad app GoSatWatch I was able to find that at 6.30pm Atlantis would be orbiting over Adelaide. So I rugged up in 5 celcius weather and stepped outside. And there it was, a fast moving dot at about 40 degrees above the horizon, followed about 10 minutes later by the ISS.
And then…about 3 hours later…Atlantis had landed. I had a sense of sadness as this was something of an occasion that would never be repeated. Sigh.
gaf.