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A comment on Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle (1986). Parent comment

Re:Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle (... by curtis on Saturday February 08, 2014 @02:08PM (#7202155)
It's a legitimate question to ask if the wings were worth the trouble. However, the real problem from a safety standpoint was that Shuttle was riding on the side of the stack rather than on top.
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Re:Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle (... by Already__Taken on Saturday February 08, 2014 @02:33PM (#7202245)
Because it had wings. You can't put wings up top without even bigger wings down low to make the thing stable.
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Re:Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle (... by curtis on Saturday February 08, 2014 @02:41PM (#7202289)
Even if that's the case, those lower wings aren't as vulnerable to minor damage since you don't need them for re-entry. That said, I am firmly in the "wings aren't worth it" camp anyway. Just put a capsule on top.
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