Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by sandworm101 on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @11:02AM (#35629006)

>> The space shuttle normally orbited with it's payload bay, opposite of the landing gear facing Earth

That wasn't a choice. The doors had to remain open and pointing away from the earth so that the radiators could properly dissipate heat. It also, in theory, kept the most important thermal tiles pointing away from incoming space rocks.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by addingnumbers on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @11:26AM (#35629356)

> The doors had to remain open and pointing away from the earth

It's the opposite. The orbiter usually kept it doors pointed toward Earth and the "bottom" tiles pointed away from Earth, and orbited with its engines pointed prograde. (Upside-down and backward relative to the atmospheric flight people are familiar with)

https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/12321/why-did-the-...

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