Welcome back Atlantis.

[Tsa'räni]

And thanks for nearly 3 decades of service from the shuttle program.  Even though it was overly expensive, the program completely transformed space exploration and astronomy as we know it.

It's a sadly bittersweet moment, but I'm sure it's just the beginning.

[Yayo]

And thanks for nearly 3 decades of service from the shuttle program.  Even though it was overly expensive, the program completely transformed space exploration and astronomy as we know it.

It's a sadly bittersweet moment, but I'm sure it's just the beginning.

The best is yet to come.

[Tsanten Eywa 'eveng]

you can read it here on NASA:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

[Human No More]

Well, there we go. Yet more loss of capability

Human haven't even been back to the moon yet and now the most innovative space vehicle since then is retired with no replacement.

[bommel]

Well, there we go. Yet more loss of capability

Human haven't even been back to the moon yet and now the most innovative space vehicle since then is retired with no replacement.

AFAIK NASA is working together with some private business to build a successor until 2015. Unfortunately space exploration is very expensive

[Tsa'räni]

The shuttle program in particular was extraordinarily expensive.  As much as I hate to say it, the program needed to be cut.  Even in a healthy economy the shuttle program was just a ridiculously huge investment.  It still makes me sad to see it go, though, because it did give us capabilities that weren't possible with smaller vehicles.

If we need to send men/women into space we'll be relying on the Russians for a few years.  Beyond that, I believe NASA's plan for the near future is to buy spaces on private space vehicles when we need to.  It will just take a few years for those vehicles to be up and running.