NBC correspondent Jay Barbree of Merritt Island, who covered his first rocket launch from the Space Coast in 1957 and on Thursday covered the end of America’s fourth manned program, took a look back and ahead.
Barbree covered all 166 human spaceflight launches from Brevard County and the end of the shuttle program struck a chord.
"It’s sort of like a divorce, you feel like you’re going through a divorce, something very special in your life is over with,” he said.
"Our course I felt the same way when Apollo was over with and Gemini and Mercury. But the big difference between today and then was that we had a specific program, a specific spacecraft to go to.”
Barbree, 77, sees commercial space interests as having a bright future.
"I’m enthused after talking with Space X. They are trying to get permission to fly a Dragon (rocket) to the International Space Station loaded with the cargo before the end of the year, They feel pretty confident that they’ll be able to go get that flag off the space station with a crew in 2014. I wish them luck. I wish all the commercial guys luck."
Barbree also believes the future lies in heavy lift and multi-purpose spacecraft.
“I’d like to see that resolved so that we can continue the true exploration of NASA in space.”
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
3 comments:
One person that I remember today who is no longer with us was CNN's John Holliman. I could not wait to watch his reports of the shuttle missions as well as other space stories. His passion for space exploration got me exited and kindled my interest in the space shuttle.
I wonder how he would have commented on today's last shuttle landing?
Indeed he was a great space reporter.
Luckily nowadays we have SpaceflightNow.com, providing excellent in-depth space news. Way better than CNN's shallow coverage of space matters...
Barbee is my favortie tv reporter though the whole program i love comments and his dedication his view's are right on the money and i heard he is retiring and i am gonna miss ya Jay, thanks for the memories and i loved the times through the bad and good for the shuttle program your a true icon reporter
your biggest Fan
Tim G
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