Re:Two abandoned Soviet space shuttles left in the Kazakh st...
by saagarjha on Wednesday December 12, 2018 @09:00PM
(#18669339)
I was thinking of this from the other way around, of adding piloting capabilities to an autonomous mission; you now need to adding a bunch of specialized equipment to keep the meatbags inside the spacecraft happy. I’m not sure which way the Soviet shuttle was designed: primarily human-piloted, with optional autonomy added as an afterthought, or meant to be pilotless but with people were added later. It’s the latter case I was concerned about, but I realize now that you’re talking about the former.
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Re:Two abandoned Soviet space shuttles left in the Kazakh st...
by mikeash on Thursday December 13, 2018 @11:48AM
(#18673731)
I don’t think anyone has designed a pure cargo craft and then tacked on crew capability. The requirements for a crew are so big (you need a substantial pressurized volume, life support, the ability to renter and land, etc.) that I don’t think it would be practical.