Talk:Space Shuttle design process

Possibly helpful video
Evolution of the Space Shuttle Shape--Craigboy (talk) 06:44, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/File:129.JPG

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USAF influence on design process.
It has commonly been said that Shuttle's delta wings and large cargo bay were the result of USAF and NRO demands. However, this is somewhat of a myth, as those were in fact things that NASA wanted and when "asking" the Air Force about them it was more like "If we build the Shuttle this way, can you use that capability?" The Columbia Accident Investigation Board hearings, namely volume 6, appendix H, go into more detail on this topic. I propose a rework of that section of the article. Hal Nordmann (talk) 13:25, 16 April 2024 (UTC)


 * Specifically on p224 of Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Vol 6, the following is stated by Bob Thompson (Shuttle Program Manager from 1970 to 1981, during early design Phase B):
 * "NASA did not put cross-range in the vehicle because the Air Force forced us to. NASA put cross-range in the vehicle because we thought that was the right way to build the vehicle and it just happened to give the Air Force some capability they wanted. But we wanted it for abort capability during the launch and we wanted to start flying the vehicle right at entry. We didnʼt want to keep the thing above stall all the way down to landing area and then flip it around. So the myth that the Air Force made us do something we didnʼt want to do is absolutely a myth." RebirthNA (talk) 12:20, 12 July 2024 (UTC)