NASA Space Shuttle: End of One Era, Beginning of Another

Story Musgrave once remarked that he would have much preferred traveling to space aboard a Mercury or Apollo spacecraft, but the shuttle was the only thing available.
It's never been safe to fly that thing; an albatross of mechanical engineering if ever there was one, it was a risky business to lift-off, fly and return. But that was hardly a secret to anyone.
I once heard there was a 70 percent chance of a serious accident of some kind every launch. That seems very unlikely given its many successes, but still, something is inherently wrong with the design.
I think it was too much, too soon.
What business did we have trying to build a real spaceship so soon after learning to fly in space? That's what the shuttle is if ever there was one; a true spaceship just like in the movies. It has wings, a cargo bay and a crew of seven. It's a trekkie's dream come true.
Too bad we didn't have the super-strong composite materials and powerful engines it has always needed.
There is value in its parts and NASA officials keep promising to use its boosters for quick-launches of smaller manned capsules. That has yet to materialize but Mike Griffin is promising to make something happen. I just hope it's sooner rather than later.
It will be sad to see the shuttle only in historical films and museums, but it's long past its prime, if it ever had one.
And no matter how much the shuttle did accomplish, if it weren't for the bravery of our astronaut crew, those like Musgrave who risked so much despite what their gut was telling them and those who gave their lives--Challenger and Columbia crews-- even it would not have been enough to keep our space dreams alive.