HN Explorer

10 comments

[ 7.1 ms ] story [ 53.5 ms ] thread
Founderarcstone
I look forward to space shuttle advancements and one day commercial travel to the moon!
euroderf
I grew up in the 60s & 70s and I was SO sure I'd be able to go into orbit for (say) my 40th birthday. Pan-Am space clippers and more.

No such luck tho. The US had the tech - but not affordably.

mrtomservo
This was a long time ago, and I could be paraphrasing, but I recall someone (who knew about such things) saying the Space Shuttle was famous for having "the grace and aerodynamic properties of a pair of pliers."
sandworm101
It flew like a brick on final, but coming down from orbit it was still a huge improvement over previous capsules.
jojobas
The final approach was at about 12 degrees glide. This is about double of no-power Cessna, but still kinda shallow.
cucumber3732842
Kinda funny if you think about it. The "peak" space vehicle of it's time being flown by some of the best pilots and they're approximating the approach of a student practicing an engine out landing.
jojobas
At triple the speed and double the approach angle, for ~6 times the sink rate. Hardly an approximation.