Some Questions

Em Qua 28 Jan 2004 17:49, Ed Minchau escreveu:
> As to _why_ the space shuttle has wings, the only conclusion I can
> see is that "flying a spaceplane is sexy".

Uh... Well, maybe its is sexy to fly a spaceplane, but I would say that any
sex appeal of "flying a spaceplane" is canceled by the phase of "launching a
spaceplane". The awkward, monstrous and grotesque combination of
shuttle+external tanks+boosters is one of the most stumbling assemblies that
I have ever seen. When I saw the images of a shuttle for the first time (I
think that I was 9 y.o. then) I thought that that abomination would never
fly. Well, to my utter surprise it actually took off, though during the
ascent you always have the troublesome feeling that the... structure will
fall in pieces at any given moment.

In short, a flying cement mixer or a flying wash machine would be sexier than
the shuttle taking off.

The ugliness and cumbersomeness of a shuttle launch is a stark contrast of the
majestic, epic, almost-biblical launch of a conventional rocket ascending to
the heavens mounted in four or five pillars of fire. Also, as an engineer I
can appreciate not only the aesthetics of the thing, but also its
mathematical simplicity and elegance.