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A comment on SpaceX wins $440M contract with NASA to develop Space Shuttle successor. Parent comment

Re:SpaceX wins $440M contract with NASA to develop Space Shu... by ceejayoz on Friday August 03, 2012 @05:07PM (#4336193)
OK, let's put it this way.

You have to options:

Option 1: Ride in a car with a single button labeled "press to start engines, you will not be able to stop until they run out of fuel". This car has been driven about a hundred times.

Option 2: Ride in a car with a "start engine" button and a "stop engine" button, plus a throttle. This car has been driven several times plus extensive testing on the ground.

"Option 2 is a safer setup" seems like a fair statement.

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Re:SpaceX wins $440M contract with NASA to develop Space Shu... by Tloewald on Saturday August 04, 2012 @08:43AM (#4338324)
The shuttle also contains design compromises caused by congress splitting up contracting. E.g. The o-rings are there to seal connections that an ideal design wouldn't have. The pieces joined were assembled in different congressional districts.
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