What was one benefit of the space shuttle?
It could land on the moon.
It was reusable.
It permanently orbited Earth.
Only one astronaut could fit inside.
They always sent up a crew.
It always came back to earth.
It never went to the moon...
so that leaves??
One benefit of the space shuttle was that it was reusable.
One benefit of the space shuttle was that it was reusable. To understand this, let's analyze the space shuttle's design and purpose.
The space shuttle was a spacecraft that was used by NASA to transport astronauts and cargo into space. Unlike earlier space vehicles, such as the Apollo capsules, the space shuttle was designed to be reusable. This means that it could go through multiple missions and be flown back to Earth to be used again.
The reusability of the space shuttle had several benefits. First, it significantly reduced the cost of space travel. Prior to the space shuttle, each space mission required building a new spacecraft for each launch, which was expensive and not sustainable in the long run. With the space shuttle, the major components, such as the orbiter and the solid rocket boosters, could be recovered and refurbished for future missions, saving money and resources.
Secondly, the ability to reuse the space shuttle allowed for more frequent missions. Since the shuttle didn't have to be rebuilt for each launch, it could be quickly prepared for the next mission, reducing the turnaround time between missions. This meant that astronauts and cargo could be transported to space more often, facilitating research and exploration.
In conclusion, one of the major benefits of the space shuttle was its reusability, which made space travel more cost-effective and allowed for more frequent missions.