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Shuttle Blasts Into History, Taking Florida Economic Engine With It
July 9, 2011
The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off Friday from the Kennedy Space Center taking with it a piece of history, not to mention an economic engine that will be hard to replace.
After three decades, the program is folding up, leaving thousands of highly paid, highly educated workers wondering where they go from here.
The shuttle program will soon be talked about in past tense. Atlantis’ 12-day mission, the last to be flown over a 30-year span, will mark the end of the longest running manned space effort.
The program, which put the Hubble telescope up and linked Earth to the International Space Station, also brought the country and manned space flight to its knees with two of the most watched tragedies since man ventured into space more than four decades ago with the disasters that destroyed the Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.
But aside from its role in the nation’s history and scientific endeavors, the shuttle program was a large employer and a key economic driver in the Space Coast. Its end leaves the area wondering what’s to come, how the roughly 9,000 jobs lost will be replaced and those thousands of engineers and others trying to decide whether to seek similar work elsewhere or wait for a new job in Brevard County.
“Today really sucked. For the first time after the launch, after that initial wave of patriotism, came a wave of absolute sadness,” said Florida Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, who represents the Space Coast.
Gov. Rick Scott tempered sadness with optimism for a rebound that’s becoming a trademark.
“This is a historic time, and it’s sad to see the program end,” Scott said in his weekly radio address. “However, I am optimistic that we can attract high-tech aviation and aerospace jobs to the Space Coast because of our highly skilled workforce.”
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off the launch pad for the final space shuttle mission. Courtesy NASA for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
10 Responses to “Shuttle Blasts Into History, Taking Florida Economic Engine With It”
My family & I made the trip to see the launch! I have always wanted to see one and I’m so glad I made the trip. The feeling was patriotic and awsome. The crowd clapped and cheered when the shuttle lifted off. I was most amazed at the amount of time that lapsed between the lift off and being able to hear the rumble of the rockets.
Everyone was making some of the same comments that are expressed here. One sign along the road even asked ” Prez. Obama now what?”
God be with us !
Thanks for the change President O’bummer!!
I guess we are now broke, and can no longer afford a space program. Does this mean we can no longer afford wars for the sake of the military industrial complex, and the international banker? I would like to see a policy under the new government, where we only fight and enemy once and never have to worry about them again. Toatal victory or total defeat, total war!
We have lost alot more than jobs today. We have lost alot more than the technology associated with NASA. We have lost the dream, hope, and possiblity to strive to be more than what we are. America leads the world in many ways including by example.This event will be seen in the future as the keystone that ultimately will have brought the human race to its knees. Without the ability to reach to the stars we will over populate, pollute and destroy the planet we live on, eventually we will be like too many rats in a cage if we don’t die of starvation or disease we will kill each other, which is already happening. Thanks Obama, you are well on your way to completely collapsing our society. Without satalite we have no way of knowing when we are under attack untill its too late. We’ll all be saying our prayers to Allah before its over though, so God help us all. Obama might tell others we are no longer a Christian nation, and at this point he might be right, we have lost the battle before it really started by allowing this to happen.
All who voted for Obama can now rejoice.. Now we are dependent on the Russians for any manned space flight for the next several years at best.. How are we going to service our satellites and other things in space if the Russians all of a sudden decide they will no longer give us a ride.. When your satellite TV or your cell phone goes out, be sure to blame the Republicans again, because we all know that they are always at fault according to our dear president..
People from every strain living in the USA has benefitted from the space program, The television you watch,the computer,the watch on your arm,the cell phone that almost everyone carries have been made better by this program. I only hope that the people that voted for Obama can see him for what he really is trying to make of this great nation, ‘a welfare state’.
The Russians are smiling knowing that America is now dependent upon them for space exploration. We are now the laughing stock among other countries thanks to our “president”. I totally agree with friction-Obama has indeed made this country a welfare nation. We have to cry to our enemies for help now. We should be LEADING space exploration, not shotgunning on a damn communist shuttle!
Thanks alot Obama for making us a welfare state instead of a nation committed to discovery and achievement. America now has no way to send men into space for the first time since the space progrms inception.
At least the program ended with a bang, rather than a whimper. I watch as the government teeters on the edge of default and I say, I would not expect to see NASA funding anytime soon. I guess a miracle, such as an alien invasion or a meteror, might shake loose a little coin.