Space Shuttle Retirement

[bluethunderbird]

Do you think it's wise to retire the space shuttle before its replacement, the Orion capsule, is up and running?

 

[bdewoody]

No, I think it is extremely stupid to put the United States in a situation where our only access to space and the ISS is through a former enemy and a country that could at any time pull the plug.

But I don't think the Orion capsule is a good idea for access to LEO as it was really designed for longer trips to the moon and Mars.

What we need is a manned version of the X-37 space plane that I hope when they decide to bring it down will land safely proving that a manned version is viable.

 

[MeteorWayne]

There are a half dozen discussions in the Space Business and Technology about this subject, which is where this belongs, since it is not about a specific Mission or Launch. I'm closing this thread, please look in SB&T.

Thanx

Meteor Wayne