/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10895229
Brain surgery. Rocket science is easy if you know the basics of physics and calculus. Rocket engineering is what's difficult.

>>10855883
It can be over complicated and still be a miracle of engineering. The RS-25 that came with the still is still among some of the best performing engines right now. Also, considering that the Shuttle was the first vehicle of it's kind and it's prototype worked well enough to be usable for decades is also amazing.

Really, the biggest issue with the Shuttle was that it wasn't allowed to progress beyond the prototype stage. Sure, the design has plenty of inherit flaws, but most of those flaws could have been dealt with through upgrades and gradual redesigns. Not much of it was improved upon even when it was clear that the Shuttle was too old and too expensive.