"Mitchell Holman" wrote in message
. 130...
I was a NASA buff back then, following the careers
of all the astronauts and knew every flight. Nowadays
no one can name which shuttle is in orbit, much less
who the crew is............

Mainly because there are now seven crew on every flight and, rather than two
flights per year, there are up to seven flights a year.

Until next year at least; when the last shuttle flight is due - somewhere
around May 2010. That will be a sad day, but the future is more than bright
for spaceflight - with Orion just around the corner (not the biggest fan of
Project Constellation by any means, but....) and the privateers like SpaceX
with their Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy launch vehicles (due for first flight
this year) and their spacecraft which can carry cargo and people.

It'll be even better than before.