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Saturday, May 30, 2020

Does anyone else feel like Falcon 9/ Dragon is a step back from the Space Shuttle?

I know that the Falcon 9/Dragon is better from a safety and technological point of view, but it still feels like a step backwards. Let me explain: I grew up with the Space Shuttle and I always thought, "wow! NASA has this massive fancy space plane! This is so much cooler than the stick rockets of the 60s!"

Space Shuttle (artist's rendition) - Space Plane!!

Apollo 11 - \"Stick Rocket\"

Now that NASA (more specifically SpaceX) is launching manned rockets again, it just seems like we're back in the 60s. We have a tall white and black rocket with a tiny little capsule on top.

Falcon 9/Dragon 2- Modern \"stick rocket\"

I don't know. It just looks so much less impressive when compared to the Space Shuttle. The ironic thing is that SpaceX's Falcon 9/Dragon 2 is much closer to a true space shuttle (due to the cost, and the ability to actually buy seat in the future). Does anyone else here have a feeling in the back of their mind that we took a step backwards? Do you think we could have another "space plane" like the Space Shuttle if a private company figures out how to build one that is safe and cost effective? Also, will the absence of a vehicle as large as the Space Shuttle limit our odds of creating a new Space Station or Space Port?



Submitted May 30, 2020 at 07:57PM by delebojr https://ift.tt/2TW8omX

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