Space Shuttle pic with GN

[batmansbuick]

With the Shuttle program heading to mothballs, thought I would post an official NASA photo taken in August of 1990 with the Columbia on the left and Atlantis on the right passing each other on the crawlers. Check out the GN that made its way into the photo. Thanks to our club member John Scianna from the space coast for the heads up.

 

[DJ Red Barron]

VERY cool!

 

[SGRIM]

very cool!

+1

 

[G NASTY]

Sweet pic

 

[gn85]

I don't know what's more amazing... the GN in front of both of them... or just plain BOTH of them in the same shot.

I've never seen both of them on the crawler at the same time. I didn't even know they did that.

Amazing shot!

 

[INEEDAGN]

Think of how much money is in that pic.

2 shuttles, with rockets, 2 crawlers.....

AND a nice GN?

 

[huntsg]

Awesome shot!

 

[1fast6]

proof that this is the greatest country on the planet..

 

[gn85]

I was just looking thru some pics of the space shuttle and realized that it's not common to see the shuttle posed with cars. Then to be a GN on top of that. Impressive shot.. thanks for sharing.

 

[novaderrik]

I don't know what's more amazing... the GN in front of both of them... or just plain BOTH of them in the same shot.

I've never seen both of them on the crawler at the same time. I didn't even know they did that.

Amazing shot!

i don't know whey they would have had 2 orbiters on crawlers at the same time back in 1990, but after they Columbia accident they had a policy that they had a backup shuttle ready and on the other pad for every launch in case they needed to do a rescue mission. they only stopped doing that when they had to modify the second pad for the Aries test flights, and they went to having a second shuttle stack on the crawler in the VAB to be rolled out to the pad if a rescue mission was needed. this last shuttle mission was the only one since the Columbia crash that didn't have a backup plan beyond having the 4 people of the crew camp out on the ISS until the Russians could send up a spare capsule to take them home.
so there were a few launches that had 2 shuttles out on the pads at the same time- and they even considered launching one a couple of days after the first one so they could work on the logistics of having 2 shuttles in orbit at the same time.
personally, i think they should have gone all out for a finale and figured out a way to get all 3 orbiters up at the same time, just to prove it could be done.. imagine all 3 orbiters flying in formation around the ISS, then landing mere hours apart.. yeah, it would have been expensive and dangerous- but dammit, space travel is expensive and dangerous and the shuttles were the coolest space ships that have been built to date and probably will be built for the next 100 years.

 

[87GN_ponykillr]

Very cool!!! Nice find :biggrin:

 

[dynoman]

I think thats MeanChicken looking for some friendly competion !!

 

[TNTSNBS]

I think thats MeanChicken looking for some friendly competion !!

hahahahaha, good one., I think the fuel in just one of those tanks is worth more than all GN's ever produced until 1987.

 

[87GN_ponykillr]

I showed the picture to one of my co-workers and he said he bet the GN was giving the shuttle a jump start lol

 

[datenbrick]

thats one in a million shots

 

[MeanBuicks]

So did Major Nelson trade in his GTO for a GN?

 

[RatFink]

I think thats MeanChicken looking for some friendly competion !!

Haha, good one, I'd bet that would be an interesting tale! I like that dude's stories.

 

[williamsGN]

That may be the coolest picture I have ever seen.. thank you.

 

[Bruce Urie]

Awesome picture. Thanks for sharing. The explaination of having two shuttles on two different pads is spot on.....emergency back-up.

Man, real cool photo.

Bruce '87 GRand National

 

[batmansbuick]

To download a high resolution larger pic, go to the Kennedy Space Center media site at the link below, has some info on the shot....

Kennedy Media Gallery