Cult Of Shuttle
When I read the teaser, I was expecting this article to be just standard-issue SpaceDaily Shuttle bashing, but then I noticed the author: Homer Hickam. He raises some interesting points, though I don't know that I agree exactly with his conclusions (though I agree with the general gist therof). To be honest, though, it's probably his tone that bothers me most. Too much focus is being paid to replacing the Shuttle, and to the Shuttle's flaws. The effort to "replace the Shuttle" is already underway, it's just that nobody calls it the Shuttle replacement. Once ISS is completed, the primary purpose for Shuttle would have been ferrying crews. The need for it to serve as a construction vehicle is diminished, as is the need for it to serve as an orbital science lab. So it becomes a taxi. While not the multi-function vehicle Shuttle is, the one thing OSP will be able to do well is serve as a taxi. So rather than focusing on creating something that can replace all of Shuttle's capabilities, we move on with something that replaces the capabilities we still need. And, instead of spending time and money re-creating something we don't need, we spend that time and money creating something new that we've never had before. Say, for instance, long-term non-LEO presence (Boy, phrasing it that way makes it sound sexy, doesn't it?)

:: :: 09:35 :: David :: [permalink] ::