Right. You can google up the references, but a lot of the shuttle's design problems came from morphing it into a platform that could service military needs. I

Right. You can google up the references, but a lot of the shuttle's design problems came from morphing it into a platform that could service military needs. Its liftoff mass was 2/3 of the moon-bound Saturn V stack! Make no mistake, I will hold deep, deep nostalgia for the Space Shuttle, but its failings were largely driven by 'irrelevant' military size and lift requirements. At the same time, I also understand that much of the money for the whole space-race, including the shuttle, effectively existed because of various military/'defense' priorities.