Quote:Yes, well, that is what I meant. In OTL the Shuttle stops flying in 2010, to be replaced by Constellation in 2014 (we hope). In Fenspace, the Shuttle stops flying in 2010 and that's it for the official American space program.
You could spin that so that that _is_ all she wrote. The U.S. Gummint halts development on Constellation, since __we__ are already doing it better.
Quote:Two points:
And on the evening of December 25th, on a pillar of fire, the scavenged and custom-work and duct tape and kludge that is the Last American Space Shuttle rises from the Nevada desert.. and //Challenger// joins the rest of Us.
First, you're missing an Orbiter from your litany.
Second, actually digging out the remnants of either of the lost Shuttles and waving the bits is a good way to get your ass kicked from one end of the solar system to the other. To NASA trufen, that's pretty much grave desecration. Not cool at all.
However, when it comes to beloved vehicles lost in the line of duty, the Trekkies have shown us the way forward. The Boeing Corporation have done us the kindness of drawing up some modernization schemes (if I can ever get my hands on the freakin' study). And as we like to say in the Soviet Air Force's engineering division, blueprints are available.
Perhaps Hephaestus would be interested in a joint project?---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
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Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
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