Quote:
Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese
Imagine what NASA could have done with the shuttle if they had Apollo era funding?
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Exactly. This is the exact reason the Russians were brought in to help with ISS launches, etc. After the glory of the Apollo missions faded, Joe Public couldn't care less about the space program and NASA's funding from Congress reflected that.
I worked closely with Rockwell (and then USA) Orbiter folks for years when I was designing hardware that interfaced with the shuttle. Keeping something that complicated flying was no small feat. Doing things that no one has ever done before always brings risk. Early on in the shuttle program it was estimated that one Orbiter would be lost approximately every 50 flights (that number varies depending on who you talk to now).
Overall, the Orbiters are getting old and it is time to replace them. I hate to see them go, though. Many fond memories...