Originally Posted by
poorjohn
I suppose great minds have considered thrusters of some kind to augment aerodynamic controls, and that doesn't work?
The fuel would probably weigh more than bigger control surfaces, and would require more maintenance to keep the thrusters working.
If I remember correctly, one of the first warnings the Columbia crew had of impending doom was the low fuel level in the thrusters that were compensating for a molten wing.