Space Shuttle Endeavour is landing at LAX/being retired.

[Fredulus]

Like amazing re-usability?

all the capsules will of course be re-usable and SpaceX is working hard to develop a re-usable launch system, which would result in a vast drop in the cost of space exploration. fuel is cheap, building a rocket is not - reuse the rocket and you only have to pay for fuel and other incidentals each launch.

the shuttle was not a re-usable system. only the shuttle was re-usable. and the shuttle is basically just a fancy capsule with wings.

[Ad Bot]

[Nightmare-Duckie]

We're still going to need shuttles for the I.S.S.
If I was looking at the right concept in Astronomy Magazine then the capsules they're planning to build are pretty huge and I don't know how well that would dock.

[Fredulus]

We're still going to need shuttles for the I.S.S.
If I was looking at the right concept in Astronomy Magazine then the capsules they're planning to build are pretty huge and I don't know how well that would dock.

.................no
we're done with shuttles

all manner of non-shuttle vehicles dock with the ISS regularly.

[Slate521]

We're still going to need shuttles for the I.S.S.
If I was looking at the right concept in Astronomy Magazine then the capsules they're planning to build are pretty huge and I don't know how well that would dock.

I don't think they send people in shuttles; they use some of the SpaceX capsules, right?

[Nightmare-Duckie]

Well then I excitedly await the next generation of space travel.

[Fredulus]

I don't think they send people in shuttles; they use some of the SpaceX capsules, right?

they're GOING to, currently we're "renting" seats on russian Soyuz capsules.

fun fact: while the shuttle was active, the orbit of the ISS had to be lowered so the shuttle could make it w/ a full load of cargo. gg.

[devildogelite]

Yeah SpaceX just recently docket a unmanned cargo capsule dock with the space station. It also landed on earth again.

Overall space shuttles had a very inefficient weight to dollar ratio

[Nightmare-Duckie]

Its not like they purposely made the shuttle inefficient. There's a reason why Apollo 11 was the one that landed on the Moon. It's all about progress. I highly doubt the new stuff coming in will be perfect at first.

[Fredulus]

actually they kindof DID purposely make it inefficient. a shuttle is inherently inefficient, lots of weight wasted on things like wings that aren't needed in spaceflight. all they do is make the shuttle glide on re-entry. big whoop, that's totally needed.

and yes, i agree - it IS all about progress. and the shuttle brought us none. it was, at best, two steps back and one step forward.

[devildogelite]

Its not like they purposely made the shuttle inefficient. There's a reason why Apollo 11 was the one that landed on the Moon. It's all about progress. I highly doubt the new stuff coming in will be perfect at first.

The shuttle program also lasted like 30 years, and cost about several times more than rockets.