Space Shuttle program - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

AtomicLabMonkey · 2003-03-13, 02:02 PM

Here's an interesting expose article from waaay back in 1980 before Columbia blasted off for its first ever launch.. that program has had so many problems it makes you wonder why we've gotten away with only 2 shuttles destroyed and 14 or so people killed in all the launches we've had.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea...-fulltext.html

sperry · 2003-03-16, 07:08 PM

Good article. I never understood why we built the shuttle.. it screams of compromise. For what it costs, we should have built a true space plane. Christ, the X-15 could fly into space... if not into orbit... and that was 10 years before we went to the moon!

I really hope we can build a rail gun payload launcher or a space elevator soon. I have no real faith in the X-33 / X-34 type aircraft.... at least this time they got canned before they wasted a ton of money.

Now don't get me wrong, the shuttle is bad-ass, but it was more of an interim solution.. a compromise. Shouldn't we have a better solution by now? It's been 20 years!

2003-03-13, 02:02 PM	#1
AtomicLabMonkey Nightwalker Real Name: Austin Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Oshkosh, WI Posts: 4,063 Car: '13 WRX YGBSM	Space Shuttle program Here's an interesting expose article from waaay back in 1980 before Columbia blasted off for its first ever launch.. that program has had so many problems it makes you wonder why we've gotten away with only 2 shuttles destroyed and 14 or so people killed in all the launches we've had. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea...-fulltext.html __________________ "None of you seem to understand. I'm not locked in here with you.. you're locked in here with me."

2003-03-16, 07:08 PM	#2
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Good article. I never understood why we built the shuttle.. it screams of compromise. For what it costs, we should have built a true space plane. Christ, the X-15 could fly into space... if not into orbit... and that was 10 years before we went to the moon! I really hope we can build a rail gun payload launcher or a space elevator soon. I have no real faith in the X-33 / X-34 type aircraft.... at least this time they got canned before they wasted a ton of money. Now don't get me wrong, the shuttle is bad-ass, but it was more of an interim solution.. a compromise. Shouldn't we have a better solution by now? It's been 20 years! __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

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