wrote in message
...
I'm having a hard time believing that the era of the Space Shuttle is
coming to
an end. The U.S. has had manned space flight for what, 49 years now?

Except for the gap between Apollo (really ASTP) and the first shuttle
flight. And the gap after the Challenger disaster. And the gap after the
Columbia disaster.

Add up the gaps and the US has not had continuous manned spaceflight for 49
years. Another gap isn't going to make much of a difference in the long
term.

In fact, I
really DON'T believe we're not going to have a manned presence in space.
What
are the chances that there is a secret, military program that still
utilizes
shuttles or shuttle-like vehicles? Wasn't there a program that never got
off the
ground many years ago, with a selected crew of astronauts who never flew?
Thought I saw that on a TV show. Could something else be flying? Maybe
disguised
as satellite launches? Or would it be too difficult to hide a manned
launch.

What have you been smoking?

Jeff
--
"Take heart amid the deepening gloom
that your dog is finally getting enough cheese" - Deteriorata - National
Lampoon