Originally Posted by
ChrisVJ
Isn't anyone a little surprised by the Hoo-Ha and delight of the pundits? Basically, although the tech might be updated, haven't we just repeated what we managed over fifty years ago? Doesn't seem like much to crow about.
The shuttle might have been not quite the direction for easiest exploration but at least it seemed like progress. I'd think by now it would be shuttling modules the size of double deck buses to the moon/
The pictures of the splash down could have been straight from the sixties. Maybe Artemis is a conspiracy and never went round the moon? Anybody?
Yes, we repeated what we managed over fifty years ago but we did it with a mostly new rocket, a new capsule and unmanned. Also, a lot of the knowledge we gained over fifty years ago has been forgotten, in a sense we're rediscovering that knowledge.
The shuttle was way too heavy to get beyond low earth orbit. It was also a flawed design in that several risks were accepted for years until they showed up in dramatic fashion.