Sorry, Joe about the earlier posting. Didn't mean any offense. You, of course, are the exception. I had an early meeting in Provo today, so I "heard" the launch while listening to the car radio as it was reported live on NPR. I'm pleased that the launch went off without a problem (read: explosion) but it did spark (no pun intended - honest) a couple of thoughts. 1. I had to laugh/snicker/guffaw/deride (even though I was alone) the NASA narrator's comment, made just as the shuttle cleared the launch pad, "...beginning America's new journey to the Moon, Mars and beyond." The ironic thing is that I understand that NOTHING about the shuttle, the ISS, or anything else that NASA is doing right now has any application whatsoever to landing people on the Moon, let alone Mars. Patrick, of course, can correct me if I'm wrong. 2. I'm reminded again of the concept of lunar and solar system exploration that, I believe, was first proposed by Wernher von Braun: build a vehicle platform in low-earth orbit, and launch shuttles/landers from there to the Moon. Even though it was clear by 1968 that this measured, rational approach to space exploration by humans had been abandoned by NASA, Stanley Kubrick still depicted space travel by this means in the film 2001 A Space Odyssey. THAT is the kind of human space exploration that I could still support. So, I ask all of you, particularly those who are more knowledgeable about such things: (1) Is it too late to return to this approach? (2) Does/did the Space Shuttle "fleet" have this capability, either alone or in combination with the ISS? (3) If not the Space Shuttle and/or ISS, is there any other vehicle or orbiting platform currently contemplated that can achieve this? Thoughts, anyone? [Joe: it's OK if you can or wish to use any of this drivel for your article.] Kim A. Hyatt, Architect P.O. Box 124 Mt. Pleasant, Utah 84647 T: 435.462.9207 F: 435/462.5013 M: 801.631.5228 kimharch@cut.net