I feel sorry for the people at NASA who work very hard to ensure operations run smoothly, the one's who had no part in this. The one's who make sure the men and women who go into outer space are kept safe. The one's who will be out of a job they love, once the program ends. I cannot understand why potentially sensitive information wasn't properly retained but let's not tarnish everyone with the same brush.
I will miss the Shuttle program, too. I grew up with it..I even saw the Boeing 747 giving the Shuttle a ride on it's back, as they passed over our dump of a neighborhood. I remember being sent A4 postcards of one of the early missions landing in the California desert. I remember seeing a sunrise from space, on the live-cam, and thunderstorms spanning 100's of miles. I remember seeing some thing I couldn't easily explain. The Space program - at least on the surface - was a public interest, one that captivated the imagination and taught people there's more out there than you think, something bigger and something you are part of. I will miss being part of it, including watching launches, live-cam footage and commentaries coming in from afar.