>>What's fascinating is that there's no real reason
>>we couldn't be going beyond Earth orbit with it after some retrofitting.
To
>>my mind, a retrofitted Shuttle would make an ideal vehicle for shipping
>>hardware to the Moon for, say, a permament base.
>Well, what can you expect from a Mars Face believer? Hint: the shuttle has
>wings, wheels, and is only designed for a very limited stay in space before
>the consumables run out.
I was talking about using a _preexisting_ space technology. Note the word "retrofitting." Obviously the shuttle, as is, is not an ideal interplanetary craft, but there are a number of modifications that could make it worth a lunar flight. Stephen Baxter, in his novel "Titan," shows how shuttle technology could be modified for a trip to Saturn (!). It's science fiction, but well within what is possible (in the book, a modified shuttle is used because NASA is essentially bankrupt).
And don't call me a Mars Face "believer." I don't "believe" anything about the Mars Face; I _think_ that it deserves more attention. Belief is the last resort of people who don't have the guts to think for themselves.