splatbubble on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Thank you. I agree completely,

papmjny on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

america ohoi !!!! forget the ideas that man can live in space. Think a moment now. The globe is dying. Try to save it realistic way. The space is utopia and LIAR's way to save this planet.

mancity1000 on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Same! When the engines kick in, thats always my favourite part

mancity1000 on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I'm fed up with mankind (or governments rather?) abandoning amazing feats of human engineering that such as the Space Shuttle and Concorde. Humans lack ambition nowadays, it was actually quite fun when the Cold War did exist as it least meant countries would come up with the latest piece of engineering to usurp the others' piece. It such a shame humanity seemed to be losing it's ambition, it renders life pointless if thats the case

Austroholic on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

i just love the moment 0:43

calaiscruiser on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

yeah the shuttles do come back with minimal faults & damage now days. +1 @ mah25man yes ur correct! a friend of mine his father worked with a nasa contractor up until only recently and he says they are far more reliable and robust than you would imagine. Insulation tiles are the most common part which are replaced and many only for precautionary reasons & regular wear and tear mostly. More damage is done to the shuttle by wildlife as it sits on the pad awaiting launch!

mach25man on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Not at all. Under the tiles and blankets is an airframe just like an aircraft. The crew module is a second airframe (like an egg if you will) that sits on three struts inside the outer airframe. It has pass thru's in the aft part of the crew module for cabling etc. that have seals. The glass is not bullet proof but has 3 panes that are very thick with spaces between them to purge out condensation. It is air tight but has the ability to leak if the seals fail.

JoshFritz561 on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I was under the impresion from a teacher that was a Colnel in the airforce that it has a metal air tight structure enlosing the cockpit aside from the glas wich is well beyond bulletproof. one designed to survive the entire craft exploding.

mach25man on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Your absolutly wrong here. What are you basing this bad info on ? These spacecraft return from orbit with almost nothing to report or fix. Just routine maintenance. Challenger was lost because a faulty booster design. Columbia was lost because of a tank problem. The orbiters perform very, very well.

mach25man on (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

There is no indestructable bubble around the cockpit. You would be surprised how much of it is built like an aircraft.