The shuttle program was a pragmatic transition from the Saturn-Apollo program. The cost for each mission was significantly more than what could be done with the shuttle program. The insulating foam issue on the external fuel tank was an ongoing issue. A shame, really. Lost lives not withstanding, had the foam issue been overcome as well as the occasional ice strikes (buildup of ice sloughing off and striking the shuttle) the shuttle program could have easily had another 20-25 years.
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Extremism is so easy. You've got your position, and that's it. It doesn't take much thought. And when you go far enough to the right you meet the same idiots coming around from the left.
Clint Eastwood -
We watched the first moon landing/walk while on a houseboat on Dale Hollow back in '69. Took a TV specifically for that purpose. Black and white of course lol. The Challenger explosion is one of those disasters that we'll all remember for ever. Just like JFK getting shot; 9/11; etc. Everyone remembers where they were when it happened.Comment
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It was intended that way, but I don't think it really turned out that way.
- it was poorly designed and unsafe. The program was perpetually beset by delays. 2 of the 5 orbiters were destroyed in flight, killing 14 astronauts.
- the shuttle was redundant because everything it did could be done by existing systems (satellites: other rockets used for that purpose; construction of a space station: Apollo, as with Skylab). In fact, they kept using rockets to launch satellites throughout the shuttle's lifespan.
- the shuttle program allowed for no exploration
We could've continued using rockets for orbital launches, and continued Apollo for manned missions, including building one or more space stations, and possibly a station on the moon or a mission to Mars.
If we were going to lower our sights and throw in the towel on manned missions beyond earth orbit, we could've done without the shuttle, and built the space station more cheaply with the existing Saturn V and used other existing rocket systems for everything else.
One of the shuttles, Discovery, is at the Udvar-Hazy annex of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in northern Virginia. I'd recommend that museum to anyone with any interest in aviation or space launches. In the same building is a Concorde, a MiG, an SR-71 Blackbird, a Zero, aircraft from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, the Enola Gay, a P-38, a P-51, an F-14, an X-35 prototype, a Redstone, a Mercury capsule, a Gemini capsule, various satellites and rockets, and many U.S. and other aircraft, modern and very old, including some German prototypes from World War II. It is interesting to see the shuttle up close. It looks very different than it did on TV and photos. The tiles and insulation are very fragile. They can't keep the bay doors open because they are very flimsy. It is fascinating to see it up close, and you can get very close to it.
They also have a huge glassed-in area where you can watch professionals restoring World War II aircraft.
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