Space Shuttle vs Constellation by RahlMaclaren

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Space Shuttle vs Constellation

POSTED BY: RAHLMACLAREN
UPDATED: Friday, April 23, 2010 12:59
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010 8:34 PM

"Damn yokels, can't even tell a transport ship ain't got no guns on it." - Jayne Cobb

Which one would you rather have flyin' for you?

I vote the Shuttle!
(It did make a cameo appearance in "The Train Job", after all.)

Bonus question, for you rocket sciencey types (Wish I was one): Which vehicle would be more fuel efficient?

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Find here the Serenity you seek. -Tara Maclay

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010 11:40 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Where was the shuttle in The Train Job ?

Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

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Thursday, April 22, 2010 7:54 AM

RAHLMACLAREN

"Damn yokels, can't even tell a transport ship ain't got no guns on it." - Jayne Cobb

When Serenity was making its approach to Niska's Skyplex, the Space Shuttle was already docked on the other side.

As seen in the capture below:

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Find here the Serenity you seek. -Tara Maclay

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Thursday, April 22, 2010 8:30 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

How many crews has the Constellation fried so far?

As an expensive execution device, the shuttle leads 14-0 as last count. Not very efficient, but terribly effective.

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Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:14 PM

RAHLMACLAREN

"Damn yokels, can't even tell a transport ship ain't got no guns on it." - Jayne Cobb

Kwicko, weren't you getting on PN's case for fantasy math?

According to Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_shuttle_missions

Space shuttle crews total 801. (Although, I'm sure alot them are the same people)

Deaths: 14. Less than 2%.

The execution rate would be more like [died/lived] 14/777(+10)
Missions: 2/132(+5)

Test flights in "()".

It's not Southwest Airlines, but how many sucessful reentries has the Constellation or Virgin Galactic performed?

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Find here the Serenity you seek. -Tara Maclay

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Thursday, April 22, 2010 1:01 PM

KWICKO

Good point, Rahl.

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Friday, April 23, 2010 11:26 AM

OUT2THEBLACK

I want a fast-burn rocket Shuttle !

The Constellation is just a Con , ole-timey Spam-in-a-Can...

By mass-fraction lofted to orbit , Constellation might be more fuel-efficient , but it depends upon many considerations , such as how do you define fuel-efficiency ? MPG ?

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Friday, April 23, 2010 12:59 PM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by out2theblack:
I want a fast-burn rocket Shuttle !

The Constellation is just a Con , ole-timey Spam-in-a-Can...

By mass-fraction lofted to orbit , Constellation might be more fuel-efficient , but it depends upon many considerations , such as how do you define fuel-efficiency ? MPG ?

And y'know, the Shuttle AND Constellation probably actually get really good MPG once you break it all down. Sure, it takes a helluva lot of gallons to get them up to orbit, but then they can cover an awful lot of miles just coasting...

So by MPG standards, my bet is they both come out better than a lot of our cars do. :)

I tend to lean toward the Shuttle, too. Yeah, I cracked wise about it frying crews, but truth be told, risks and all, I'd go up in it in a heartbeat. You might die, sure - but oh the tales you'll tell if you live! :)

Hmmmm... Some quick-n-dirty math shows the Shuttle getting something above 9mpg on its longest missions. That ain't great, but it's not as wasteful as some might think!

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

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