> Soviet intelligence couldn't quite figure out what the Shuttle was supposed to be good for. I'm reminded of this famous joke: http://militaryhumor.net/wp-con

> Soviet intelligence couldn't quite figure out what the Shuttle was supposed to be good for. I'm reminded of this famous joke: http://militaryhumor.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/military-humor-us-war-doctrine.jpg http://militaryhumor.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/military... > Only much, much later was the ISS planned around the Shuttle's capabilities IIR, the STS program (of which the shuttle was the only surviving part) was always intended to ferry cargo and some future spacestation parts into orbit. The ISS was the eventual compromise station and was a mere shadow of the original proposal.