Why was the space shuttle such a failure?
The mix of compromise, lack of funding, the limitations of 1970s technology, and the inability to upgrade or improve the system led to the shuttle’s downfall. When the Shuttle was first being advocated within NASA, it was much different, with two completely reusable stages and a relatively small payload bay.
What was wrong with the space shuttle design?
As an engineer I think there was one major design mistake regarding the space shuttle. The design mistake was the attempt to combine the X-15 aerospace drop-from-altitude aerospace plane design with a ground-launched rocket design. This new design concept was never tried or tested, and that was an engineering mistake.
How bad was the space shuttle?
Let me spell it out for you: out of five Shuttles–Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor—two met a disastrous and fiery fate. That’s a 40\% vehicular failure rate (updated) and a flight failure rate of 1.5\%. This would have grounded any other vehicle permanently.
Was the Challenger crew recovered?
Within a day of the shuttle tragedy, salvage operations recovered hundreds of pounds of metal from the Challenger. In March 1986, the remains of the astronauts were found in the debris of the crew cabin.
How many space shuttles blew up?
Four fully operational orbiters were initially built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Challenger and Columbia were destroyed in mission accidents in 1986 and 2003 respectively, killing a total of fourteen astronauts.
What are some disadvantages of the space shuttle?
The complicated system added greatly to risk and cost. Lack of modernization – or lets call it.. “Ageing”. Elon Musk stated that the very reusability of Shuttle prevented from evolving at the same rate as other rockets. There were very few real design changes.
Was the space shuttle a failure Reddit?
2/5 of the shuttles have failed. Yes that’s a 40\% vehicle failure rate and 1.5\% flight failure rate, killing 14 astronauts.
Did the Columbia crew suffer?
Seat restraints, pressure suits and helmets of the doomed crew of the space shuttle Columbia didn’t work well, leading to “lethal trauma” as the out-of-control ship lost pressure and broke apart, killing all seven astronauts, a new NASA report says.
Did NASA know Columbia was doomed?
The doomed astronauts were not told of the risk. One of the most dramatic moments after the space shuttle Columbia crashed came when entry Flight Director Leroy Cain ordered the doors locked and computer data saved. Several engineers at the space agency suspected something was wrong.
Did they find the bodies of Columbia astronauts?
NASA yesterday named a retired Navy admiral to lead an independent investigation into the incident, which took the lives of all seven crew members on board. The remains of all seven astronauts who were killed in the space shuttle Columbia tragedy have been recovered, US officials said last night.
Were any of the Columbia crew recovered?
The remains of all seven astronauts who were killed in the space shuttle Columbia tragedy have been recovered, US officials said last night. The shuttle was travelling at 18 times the speed of sound, 39 miles above Texas, when disaster struck.
Was it a mistake to build the Space Shuttle?
So developing some form of new space launch system made sense as the major NASA effort for the 1970s, presuming the United States was committed to continuing space leadership. But it was probably a mistake to develop this particular space shuttle design, and then to build the future U.S. space program around it.
What would have happened to the ISS without the Space Shuttle?
Without the shuttle, construction of the ISS would have been impossible, leaving the U.S. with little choice but to keep the shuttle flying to finish the job. This necessity added almost two decades and billions of dollars of cost to the shuttle’s operation.
How much did it cost to build the Space Shuttle program?
In 1972, when the Shuttle program was born, the state of the art in space launch capability was the Saturn V. A single Saturn V cost more than a billion dollars (in todays dollars, adjusted for inflation) to build, and another billion to launch. That is what they were trying to replace with the Shuttle.
Why was the Space Shuttle so important to America?
The space shuttle was a source of considerable pride for the United States; images of a shuttle launch are iconic elements of American accomplishment and technological leadership. In control: NASA workers disconnect and dismantle Endeavour’s cockpit.