not sure what this has to do with the middle-school science-fair project in the OP, but the whole "reusable shuttles" idea hasn't really panned out that well.

not sure what this has to do with the middle-school science-fair project in the OP, but the whole "reusable shuttles" idea hasn't really panned out that well. The Russian Soyuuz rockets haven't changed much since the 70s and they have an excellent safety record compared to the space shuttles.