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this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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Yeah, but like, the shuttle was cool man.
In retrospect, it wasn't the best idea, but it's probably the most complicated flying brick anyone has ever conceived and it somehow worked, most of the time.
But imagine you could go back and redesign it. Payload bay doesn't have to fit keyhole satellites. Don't have to use SRBs as a jobs program for ICBM contractors. They use a fuel that isn't as nasty to handle as hydrogen. It gets stacked vertically. Oh wait -- I just designed Starship, minus the reusable booster.
@troyunrau @llamacoffee It was cool, but that was it's downfall. Apollo took every bit of technical resource, which might have otherwise gone into a more natural growth of activity in space. (Which is what we're seeing now).
So when someone showed a cool space plane, regardless of the costs, practicality and viability, that pattern of political expediency was already set.