OK, my post was a result of some very lateral thinking indeed... And I now call to mind gliding days, when I had instruments that dealt with energy rather than the individual elements of energy...
It's energy, range, and height that tell us what we're up to. Even the most modern aircraft don't have a 'You're not going to make the TDZ' alert, yet landing short is a significant problem. By the time you're low enough for G/S alerting and/or slow enough for stickshake, your energy is way out of kilter.
I wonder how the Shuttle does it..? Must ask...