Reply #10: And if the same attitudes were applied to flight....

[TheMadMonk]

Yes the Shuttle was sold as something it was not. However, the bigger part of the problem is that was no real attempt to actually develop the concept beyond the traditional cross Berring Strait dick waving.

Just some simple measures could have given us Mark 2, 3, 4 shuttles and beyond.

Remove the miles of wiring harness and replace with a few power runs, and a redundant LAN. -- Would improve turnaround time on the ground and lower the deadweight of the vehicle, thereby increasing cargo capacity.

Substitute titanium for aluminium. Similarly introduce other advanced materials. -- A stronger, lighter airframe with perhaps at least the aerodynamic qualities of a paver, rather than a housebrick, perhaps even a wall tile. (One can dream.)

A switch to a stack launch format with an entirely separate primary thrust module. -- Improved safety. Allows for a return of the Shuttle-C (cargo) concept and a 100 ton plus increase in lift capacity.

Retractable wingtips for extended glide time and land anywhere capacity.

Tank to orbit would have given us enough orbital real-estate to acommodate a moderate sized town by now. Tanks refuribished as habitats could be flung on ahead to Mars and the asteroids.

A "bus" module for the cargo bay could move 50-100 passengers at a time.

And to borrow a cliche, onwards and upwards to the stars.