Coulda, woulda. They didn't. And Shuttle cost $1B per launch. That is nuts even by US government standards. That's also why the USSR abandoned theirs, even thou

Coulda, woulda. They didn't. And Shuttle cost $1B per launch. That is nuts even by US government standards. That's also why the USSR abandoned theirs, even though theirs was much cheaper - no need for three dozen subcontractors to each make a hefty profit.