Atlantis will remain on the ground for a while longer...
NASA looked to early January at the soonest for further attempts to launch the shuttle Atlantis to the international space station after an intermittent fuel gauge problem brought a halt to hopes of lifting off this afternoon.Jan. 2 would be soonest the space agency would make a third launch bid, said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel .
"We need to figure out why these sensors are not working," Beutel said. "We are planning a round of troubleshooting."
Maybe I'm just projecting, but when you've got a mishmash of sixties and seventies technology with an ungodly amount of retrofits and patches up there on the launch pad, doesn't it get kind of disheartening when they walk by the drawing boards and see the amazing and cool ideas they're cooking up, but still gotta hurl that bucket of bolts up in the sky every few months when it's working?
I mean, when I know a new technology is coming, I kinda look at the current technology and totally lose that "Gee whiz!" factor.
I guess the best example of it was: The moment Windows 95 hit the shelves, Windows 3.1 was dead to me. That and Office 95 and Plus 95 and a new video card and motherboard and memory and hard drive and...
And then all those Indians and Chinese and Russians are working on some moon missions while Pakistan yips at their heels saying they will, but we all know that Pakistan will be chaos by the end of next year when Musharraf and Bhutto have their motorcades vaporized.
Or perhaps it's like the developers of old software that still runs, runs pretty well, has a few "personality issues" where it just needs tender loving care, or like an antique car that's fun to take out on the weekends and meet up with all the other aficionados.
Pfeh. I have no idea what I'm talking about, do I?
Whatever.