The biggest downside I see to the shuttle is how it blocked anything better. Spaceflight got stuck in a local maximum for 30 years, possibly solely to enrich certain congressional districts and well connected contractors. True reuse is needed to make manned space travel possible to more than a few elite astronauts, and the shuttle never had that.
I think we’re seeing two sides of the same coin: The fact that we didn’t keep designing new spacecraft is the problem. And I wouldn’t blame the shuttle for that, just the American people for losing their zeal.
The biggest downside I see to the shuttle is how it blocked anything better. Spaceflight got stuck in a local maximum for 30 years, possibly solely to enrich certain congressional districts and well connected contractors. True reuse is needed to make manned space travel possible to more than a few elite astronauts, and the shuttle never had that.
I think we’re seeing two sides of the same coin: The fact that we didn’t keep designing new spacecraft is the problem. And I wouldn’t blame the shuttle for that, just the American people for losing their zeal.