Re:SLS vs. Starship
by ufmace on Friday November 13, 2020 @05:44PM
(#25088459)
Maybe somebody wrote a requirement about that once, but it doesn't sound very practical. I know they were dreaming up a lot of fanciful things when they were setting the requirements though.
I think the actual shuttle had a life support capability for like 7 people. Not sure of the actual flight crew requirement, there's probably room for like 3-4 other guys. It can land on a runway, but it's gotta be really long, and there's only one shot, and it'll be really obvious and has no ability to evade defenses. No chance of it landing in Moscow unless the Russians let it. And then you'd be in the middle of a huge military base or something, and what are 4 guys going to do except be killed or captured immediately.
Maybe they could get there in an hour. From a specific launch pad in Florida, and if the shuttle is all set up to launch, which takes months. And it'll be blindingly obvious to everyone in the world that something just launched heading straight at Moscow.
Re:SLS vs. Starship
by anoncake on Saturday November 14, 2020 @08:34AM
(#25092198)
You could put a crew module into the payload bay. Also the Shuttle's life support systems were designed for multi-day missions so they may have been able to handle a two hours flight with more people.
I think the actual shuttle had a life support capability for like 7 people. Not sure of the actual flight crew requirement, there's probably room for like 3-4 other guys. It can land on a runway, but it's gotta be really long, and there's only one shot, and it'll be really obvious and has no ability to evade defenses. No chance of it landing in Moscow unless the Russians let it. And then you'd be in the middle of a huge military base or something, and what are 4 guys going to do except be killed or captured immediately.
Maybe they could get there in an hour. From a specific launch pad in Florida, and if the shuttle is all set up to launch, which takes months. And it'll be blindingly obvious to everyone in the world that something just launched heading straight at Moscow.