The Insane Engineering of Orbit

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Credits:
Producer/Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Head of Production: Mike Ridolfi
Senior Editor: Dylan Hennessy
Research Assistant: Josi Gold
Animator: Eli Prenten
Animator: Stijn Orlans
Sound and Production Coordinator: Graham Haerther
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster
Head of Moral: Shia LeWoof
References:
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.c...
Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung

[@RealEngineering]

If you missed episode 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5SllGOibK6lkLc

[@kelsey_roy]

Did you mean ‘orbiter’ in the title?

[@RealEngineering]

no. episodes are launch, orbit, re-entry

[@mrcat5508]

@@RealEngineeringthen the first video was titled wrong

[@Dunger974]

@Repent-and-believe-in-Jesusdude

[@mrcat5508]

@Repent-and-believe-in-Jesus huh

[@Hebesphenomegacorona]

One thing a lot of people get wrong is that the idea that the shuttle was in orbit when it dropped the tank. When the engines shut down the tank and the shuttle were on the same orbital trajectory that intersected the atmosphere. This meant the shuttle had to boost itself at the highest point of its orbit using the OMS to avoiding reentering the atmosphere with the tank.

[@mikekopack6441]

And that was mostly so the tank would reenter and break up, rather than leave space junk in orbit.

[@u12uNiiGuNx]

Yup but at that point they’re 99% of the way there so it doesn’t take much energy to to increase the periapsis.

[@jeshkam]

Ever thought of using commas? It helps reading comments a lot and getting them right as well.

[@stevenliggins1623]

I believe this was explained in the video about the boosters and the take off system.

[@CawfeeGasBlast]

The tank clearly drops away from shuttle. How does the tank fall? It wasnt pushed down...

[@danielmartinezf]

I just presented my Launch Systems final project a few hours ago and I can absolutely tell you that rocket science is on a whole different level. The level of detail that goes into every aspect of these vehicles is just amazing and every single aspect is painstakingly scrutinized to a level the general public has never seen

[@SD352-68]

It’s awesome, satellite engineering is hard enough for me!

[@keirfarnum6811]

@Repent-and-believe-in-Jesus All hail the Great Green Arkleseizure! May he bless thee by bestowing his Holy Handkerchief! Atchoo!

[@joeybru]

What project? High school or NASA Engineer? :) What you wrote above might well fit for any science or a lot of engeneering projects. The general public knows close to nothing about what level of details science and technology is working on every day. Ask any PhD student about their projects, they will need a few paragraphs just to explain the question - as best as they can.

[@Yetipfote]

Amazing that we are capable of such things! Also the cooperation among teams of engineers cross-continents is simply..... I am lost for words!!

[@Soniti1324]

The choice of fused quartz for the windows was just absolute perfection. The materials science fan in me was awestruck-

[@Chemiolis]

To be nitpicky, 9:18 Laboratory 'crucibles' and beakers are not made of fused silica, they are made of borosilicate. Fused silica has much better heat & heat shock tolerance and lower thermal expansion. Labware is made from borosilicate because it is much cheaper while still having good thermal properties.

[@AnyWayICan]

The final push into orbit is not from the main engines, but from the orbital maneuvering system (OMS). If the orbiter was in orbit at main engine cutoff (MECO) then the jettisoned tank would remain in orbit rather than burning up in the atmosphere.

[@rycaruth8856]

true he said the other way in first vid.

[@MattExzy]

@Repent-and-believe-in-Jesus I guess Joseph didn't get to jettison his tank then, either.

[@T.E.S.S.]

lol @Repent-and-believe-in-Jesus

[@thechief00]

@@MattExzy Mary really came up with the wildest cover story ever for cheating, and billions of people believed it lmao

[@JohnVanderbeck]

Yeah caught that as well. I was like "Wait if you eject the MT and cut off the engines at the same time, then they would be on the same orbital trajectory" :)

[@douglasharley2440]

*_love_* this channel, much thanks!

[@MrSwitzerland88]

please do more space-themed engineering! absolutely love this

[@dasstigma]

Nice profile pic

[@adamtravan3946]

ISS

[@sunixjester]

Can we get some on the Vostok, Voskhod and early NASA rockets?

[@michael.forkert]

_Infantilized people like childish fantasies._

[@FutureAIDev2015]

14:50 "as Goddard intended" that was hilarious!

[@RealEngineering]

I forgot I left that joke in there honestly, and laughed myself during review. I don't know why I delivered it so dryly

[@InitialT-tm-]

@@RealEngineeringthe dead pan delivery was the best part. I rewound to verify whether I’d heard it right!

[@brrrrrr]

​@norman_zplay on words from "as god intended"

[@Somethinghumble]

Good catch! It was such a smooth delivery that I missed it on the first pass. Good ears.

[@Erik-pu4mj]

@@InitialT-tm- Same, I even turned on subtitles XD

[@bholdr----0]

Absolutely fascinating. I enjoyed how the vid used the story of one interesting and challenging mission to illustrate many of the functions and capabilities of the entire shuttle system-of-systems.

[@davetremaine9688]

The Space Shuttle had it's faults, but man what a beautiful iconic machine. When the world came together to make the ISS America came to the table with a combination of an airplane, a school bus, and a pick up truck.

[@benn454]

While Russia had a beat-up old tractor from the 60s.

[@NitFlickwick]

And, like everywhere else, the 80s tech stopped working while the older stuff kept trucking along.

[@tracesibley6545]

So does every single other human invention.

[@tracesibley6545]

Name one fail safe device

[@adamb8317]

The main fault was that it had so many ridiculous requirements for one spacecraft.

[@Phriedah]

I got your subtle joke at 14:50, "As Goddard intended" - well done.

[@TheHatManCole]

Could you do a video on the insane engineering of the LM? I find this ship so meaningful because it is the only craft ever designed to carry humans to fly only in 0 atmosphere conditions, which is why it looks so weird. I think this is very meaningful to engineering history because the fact that we needed a ship to carry people in 0 atmosphere conditions says a lot about how far we have come as a species. Thank you.

[@SAVETHEPLANET-KILL-A-GLOBALIST]

0 atmosphere? Really that’s why it looks so weird? It doesn’t have anything to do with it being filmed in a pool???😂

[@wolfbd5950]

14:45 "...allowing any two spacecraft to dock together, as Goddard intended." Thank you for this - it made me burst out laughing in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

[@NoobMicesters]

​@norman_zits a play on words. Taking the religious phrase of "as God intended" and changing it to Goddard, who was essentially the inventer of rocket boosters. Referring to him as the god of space flight

[@sethandrew1446]

Can’t wait for part 3, these have been so good

[@RealEngineering]

Slightly biased because aero>space, but episode 3 is my favourite episode

[@legitusername-zl7to]

​@@RealEngineeringwhat do you mean?

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

You CAN wait.

[@martijn9568]

​​@@legitusername-zl7toHe slightly prefers flying vehicles to space vehicles.

[@adamb8317]

@@martijn9568flying is definitely less boring than space travel but also less demanding on engineering.

[@neoanderson7]

The Shuttle was truly a feat of engineering. Kudos to the crew involved in telling a great piece of history.

[@00andrew000]

And kudos to the engineers who created it!

[@everettlwilliamsii3740]

The shuttle should never have been built as it was to be a giraffe when a horse was needed. It was the throwing of 250k lbs into orbit for a max payload of around 20k lbs...and then hauling most of that 250k lbs back down to Earth. What a waste! If a capsule was hoisted to orbit on top of a lightweight container, cutting off the weight of wings and wheels, the shuttle stack could have boosted well over 100k lbs to orbit on each launch as well as the external tank for construction materials. The presence of a capsule would have made the whole thing safer while reducing the wasted fuel and risk. With that kind of payload, the entire space station could have been lifted in 3-4 payloads and something larger than the Hubble could be panning the universe at the moment, with far more durable pointing elements and a greater capacity to restore for repeated images. And there is so much more that we could have done with those 133 launches, not to mention that we would probably have had 14 less casualties. 90% of weight to orbit as useful payloads as opposed to shuttle's 10% seems the brighter way to go. The occasional need for down-mass beyond the capabilities of the capsule could be met by putting a lifting body in the freight container. It could easily carry more down-mass than the shuttle and could be landed remotely with little to no risk to personnel. The shuttle was far more complex than it had to be, contributing massively to the cost and destroying the rapid reusability, making it mostly refurbishable at huge expense.

[@neoanderson7]

@@everettlwilliamsii3740 considering what they had to deal with in regards to the requirements from both the engineers and the military, they did what they could. It still plays a major role in our history. For what came out of the entire project, I still think they did very well and showed what could be done when so many requirements had to be met.

[@Chriss120]

This truly deserves a mini series. Your videos are always great to watch, good job.

[@mikedicenso2778]

@ 11:25 The Chandra/IUS stack was not the maximum limit for the Shuttle fleet in general, only for OV-102 Columbia, which was 3.6 metric tons heavier than her newer sisters, and it was Columbia that flew that mission since she was the only orbiter at the time that had not been outfitted with an external airlock and therefore was capable of holding the 56 foot (17 meter) stack in her payload bay. As it was, the mission was only possible for Columbia because of the recent introduction of the super lightweight aluminum-lithium external tanks, which shaved off 8,000 lbs (3.6 mt) in mass from the overall Shuttle launch stack and therefore added a roughly equivalent amount to the payload mass to orbit.

[@Sam_596]

"As Goddard intended" Solid gold line

[@beriukay]

I don't even know how to share this joke with my friends, but I love it!

[@beriukay]

@norman_z It's a play off of the phrase, "As god intended". Because Goddard has actually intelligent designers, it is more than just a play on words

[@Spartan2035]

The more I learn about the shuttle, the more I'm surprised how well every single part was thought out. They even had covers for the flight sticks! And the capture mechanism on the Canadarm is just 💯

[@paddor]

And a too small air lock room for space walks and hinges that lock with temperature differences. Not to mention the maintenance nightmare of the orbiter. Amazing!

[@satan.is.my.copilot]

​@@paddorseriously? How does that help anyone?

[@Snork086]

well, had EVERY single detail been thought out, there wouldn't had been 2 major disasters in human spaceflught history involving space shuttle

[@satan.is.my.copilot]

@@Snork086 how does what you're doing right now help anyone?

[@PsRohrbaugh]

​@@paddorbro the space shuttle was designed in the 70s. It needed to be revised and re designed several times but never was. It was well ahead of Apollo but never got the attention it deserved. It languished and became obsikute.

[@franosbornblaschke3694]

"As Goddard intended." Well-played! : )

[@judet2992]

12:58 Seeing the OMS engines’ plumes rendered so beautifully made me happy.

[@SanctuaryLife]

As a child of the 80s (born 1978) this is the ship I grew up with and got to watch every 6 months or so on TV. Will forever hold a special place in my heart. It was a worthy heavy lift unit albeit a risky one and it's nice to see Starship coming through to pick up where it left off. I can only hope the 2020s will consist of Starship and the most reliable heavy lift we've ever seen.

[@NobleOmnicide]

Excellent series. This is the type of content KZbin SHOULD be promoting.

[@JK_Clark]

When was the last time you saw a video solely on cats?

[@NobleOmnicide]

@@JK_Clark What is your point? My point is KZbin should promote more science and educational videos instead of vapid garbage like SSSniperWolf. And to answer your question, I watched this video a few months ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnrQpZV-ib1sncU

[@zlm001]

The pictures of the three astronauts on an EVA capturing a satellite were always some of my all time favorites. I didn't know anything about the mission at all. I'm glad I got to hear about it in this video.

[@JoseShajiOfficial]

I love these episodes. The space shuttle was what got me into aerospace, and this video taught me a lot about it. I am fortunate to have seen the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center!

[@MaxBrix]

The shuttle had 2,500,000 moving parts. The challenge of managing that many points of failure is absurd.

[@TheDwightMamba]

Total parts, not moving parts.

[@shadleyjansen2249]

That's ridiculous

[@adamb8317]

@@TheDwightMambayes. Still pretty insane, and part of the problem when you have multiple agencies adding design requirements trying to make the vehicle best of all worlds.

[@TheDwightMamba]

@@MaxBrix The James Webb Space Telescope had less than 300 points of failure to open up a sunshield the size of a tennis court. My point was that anything that relies on 2.5 million moving parts wouldn't last past launch.

[@adamb8317]

If you count the fact that the whole shuttle moved then yes they were moving parts 😂

[@tolkien2013]

Exactly as I’m binge watching your space videos since getting into Kerbal Space Program, this video gets out. Please keep making those they’re amazing !

[@_Revengist]

I'm playing KSP2 with this in the background lol

[@vkdaninja4735]

wait until you can build your own shuttle

[@tolkien2013]

@@vkdaninja4735 I actually just built my first two hours ago lol

[@ryndrssn]

Everyday Astronaut has a lot of rockets and space related videos (he does more about the technical stuff like rocket engine cycles), give it a watch

[@_Revengist]

​@@ryndrssnAs an Everyday Astronaut fan, I agree

[@HPrivakos]

To Infinity and Beyond

[@benbristow8412]

Hell yeah

[@randomdeadpool]

Just as the great philosopher Buzz Lightyear once said

[@2goober4u]

​@DontReadMyProfilekysPicture.273

[@Sargent-h2f]

No, no, no. I think you meant ''There's snakes in my boots''

[@Jimmysage3273]

@@Sargent-h2fnope he didn’t mean that

[@KevinDC5]

The "as Goddard Intended" pun was hilarious! Another great video! Cheers from Houston!

[@joshuabrigden4820]

Ever since a child i've always thought how impressive it was to be runway landing a spacecraft! Yes spacex landing boosters and others now is so impressive it looks like sci-fi, it still doesnt take away from the awe that was the space shuttle.

[@KevinDC5]

The only launch Ive ever attended, I was 14 and It was the STS-88 launch you mention... I had no idea at the time that it was the first mating of ISS components, but I do recall it feeling like an earthquake in Florida! What a beautiful beast she was!

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

In the early shutlle program, someone (I think it was David Brin), proposed not ejecting the main fuel tank until it was in orbit. By putting a hatch on it, you would have a large pressure tight enclosure ready for retrofitting into a space station. By attaching multiple tanks with cables and spinning them, a rotating wheel type station was possible. No idea if it was feasible.

[@wytfish4855]

if my simple understanding is up to par, even assuming that the fuel tank is a simple hollow cylinder, the propellants are kinda hazardous after all, sensors and scrubbing equipment required to make it safe for activities would add extra weight, which itself is already a very scarce commodity for space flights.

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

@@wytfish4855 Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The idea was to have an excess of oxygen. The followup mission would install a fuel cell to provide power. The fuel cell would combine hydrogen and oxygen to create water. The followup mission would also bring liquid nitrogen to combine with the oxygen to create air (79% nitrogen, 21% oxygen). The power from the fuel cell would be used to heat the nitrogen/oxygen mixture until it turned into gas. The remaining liquid oxygen and nitrogen would be stored in tanks strapped to the outside as reserve. The new tank design would have one end of the oxygen tank and external shell flanged for removal and installation of internal parts fllowed by an airlock module. The tanks would be tethered to each other and spun for gravity simulation. Spinning in Earth’s magnetic field would generate electricity long term. Orbital manuevering would be provided by electron guns. NASA took one look, realized they could make it work if they Apollo level support, decided it wasn’t worth the risk, and shelved the idea.

[@planetsec9]

I learned so many new things about the space shuttle Orbiter from this episode, and also about that satellite mission, had no idea it was unplanned to have 3 astronauts on EVA, thats one of my favorite pics of the shuttle program! I wonder when we'll ever see more than 2 NASA astronauts on an EVA ever again, that's such a cool sight to see.

[@joethomas4234]

Another awesome installment! The quality and thoroughness your channel has achieved is inspiring!

[@ivanstojanac7752]

Loving this series. Can't wait for the next episode. "How to land the space shuttle... from space" is one of my favourite videos on youtube so i would love to learn more about the engineering behind the landing

[@n3307v]

Wonderful series. I'm learning so much about the Shuttle.

[@JediSentinal]

Not gonna lie i wasnt sure what this video was about from the title, but learning about what goes on in the backround during space shuttle missions is interesting!

[@RealEngineering]

I'm am trying my best to not label these as episode 1,2,3 because that tends to result in some very poor performance, so the titling is a little goofy. The three episodes are launch, orbit, and reentry.

[@Venthe]

@@RealEngineering In that case, can you at least change the name in a couple of months, when there will be less engagement? "For the future"?

[@RealEngineering]

@@Venthe I will likely just post the entire 1 and half hour documentary this time next year as a single episode.

[@moldock40k]

I'd love to see a series like this for the mercury, Gemini, and apollo rockets too

[@vishalpatil-fy2ot]

It's amazing to see how much human capable to do

[@dylanhalifaux]

This is a wonderful documentary series. Thanks for taking the time to do such a great job.

[@NASA-criminals]

Fake-ass NASA

[@tripackdroned4626]

I enjoy listening to this voice over, being Irish myself, but when focussed, trying to learn, and you hear the word ‘unbiblical’ my brain stalls. Great videos for the holidays, carry on being REAL,

[@toomanychiefs]

BEST CHANNEL ON KZbin! Love the graphics soo much

[@bartmannn6717]

So awesome that you got to speak with one of the astronauts in person of the space shuttle. This was an exciting story I never heard before!

[@CelticOrdo]

This is turning into one of my favorite series. Well done and thank you!

[@breadskate433]

Hey man, big fan. I love how you wrap scientific information in such a way as so the average person can understand it. You're one of my favorite channels man, keep it up. Though I'm wondering where you get the information for the vast amount of topics your channel presents, sometimes on very specific things like the inner workings of a fighter jet or NASA equipment. I always thought information like this wasn't publicly available?

[@RealEngineering]

NASA stuff is easy. They make a lot public. For planes it's more difficult and I rely on my knowledge about planes and interviews with experts more often. One of the reasons we won't see an episode about the F-22. Simply not enough info available to make it worthwhile imo

[@lordflufffluff]

​@@RealEngineeringThank you

[@jeydi2]

The amount of on the job adjustments that they had to do, even when they had planned for so much, astounds me. The fact that they got the adjustments done, speaks volumes about human ingenuity and resolve.

[@SP4CEBAR]

I like how the astronaut said: "so I floated up to the flight deck with them" as if it's a common thing humans do (17:02)

[@romangamez9316]

Love the job you do and all the details you bring to these videos. I feel like you're the only one on you tube I watch that the quality of the videos has stayed the same and not degraded with commercials. I have joined nebula just to support these videos. Keep up the great videos.

[@Somerandom1922]

I love that "as Goddard intended" joke

[@AirZoo]

Another absolute banger! Excited to see the next ep! 👍

[@variable7833]

This is TOO COOL. i learned alot of things i had never heard. Your channel rules!

[@calibratedtub4810]

These 2 parts imo are the best ive ever seen on this topic. In depth and technical. You should do one for the ISS or how the SLS builds on the lessons learnt from the shuttle.

[@CheeseWithMold]

I really really love this look at the space shuttle. With all its faults, I still think the space shuttle is the coolest vehicle that humanity has ever built.

[@fluxus_origo]

One of the most fascinating scene, when the space shuttle prepare for landing without the engines. Truly marvelous

[@monroejosh]

As someone who took Calc II from Tom Akers at UMR, I really loved this episode!

[@Astronetics]

14:48 I see what you did there with the "As Goddard intended" hahaha

[@Astronetics]

@norman_z a play on "as GOD intended" that people use

[@T_5N1P3R]

bruuuuuuuh I wish this video was out a month ago 😂 it could have helped me so much for my space engineering introduction class in university, dang. Any chance you might do an episode on the Buran space shuttle? It’s honestly an engineering marvel imo

[@gregfoster126]

I love this yt channel,one of the best out there atm

[@ross.neuberth]

Early space exploration really was insane.

[@lol-em6bj]

ikr too bad we are worried about cost and so many other things now

[@thomaswijgerse723]

@@lol-em6bj well, back then we didn't care about safety as much as we do now, the amount of close calls and failures in early rocketry is insane.

[@lol-em6bj]

@@thomaswijgerse723 yep

[@cjplay2]

This video here is just one amazing example of why to get Nebula. Also, going to the California ScienCenter, Cape Canaveral, and/or Smithsonian Air and Space museums will make this video real. Fantastic work, @realengineering! Amazing.

[@bruce92106]

Dude, very well done! I've actually watched 3 of your videos on the shuttle and they were all thoroughly enjoyable and educational. You actually have quite a gift. Unlike many others on KZbin your voice and way of delivering are pleasing enjoyable and engaging. Good job(s)! 👍😊

[@occamsrayzor]

This was really informative and well narrated, apart from "umbiblicals" 😆

[@HeliosForgot]

This channel constantly keeps me intrigued by all the applications of the engineering world, makes it a lot easy to stay with my studies. Great content!

[@victorzarenin9286]

To me, the most amazing thing is just how low the tolerance for failure is here. ANY mistake, anything at all, the smallest missed detail, and everyone dies. The fact that we have been able to successfully pull off all these launches is truly remarkable.

[@zegreatpumpkinani9161]

13:20 "The missile knows where it is..."

[@Primalmoon]

Bah, beat me to it.

[@aidan.w.carolan]

This is an amazing video. Your best yet. And there have been some really great ones. It's so well produced, so well researched and so well presented. It's one of the best you tube videos I've ever seen. It shows your enthusiasm and knowledge for the subject.

[@cypher_doggy8507]

This is my first time being so early in a Real engineering video lol

[@billvanderpol]

Fascinating look back at the Shuttle. No doubt a whole series of videos could be done on all the different missions. Just one minor correction - the arm is called Canadarm, not CanadaArm, as every Canadian knows ;).

[@mrarby9780]

"As Goddard intended " I see what you did there

[@mrarby9780]

@norman_z Robert Goddard is considered by many as the American father of modern rocketry. " As God intended"

[@fromulus]

Fabulous video, I can't wait for part 3.

[@Legamerto]

One of the Greatest Spacevehicles ever! Awesome explained!

[@marcoandreknottjung3418]

it's just waste and senseless time, which humanity worked for; to represent the world, that no one can go out of this matrix! Truth only makes it possible! Freedom to all!

[@soku890]

Also the most deadly and pointlessly expensive space vehicle ever made.

[@dexterrity]

Im certain Brian is aware, but there's a technical mistake at 22:55: a spacecraft with mass can't ever get to lightspeed *no matter* how much fuel it has, theoretically. It can get closer and closer to lightspeed, but never actually reach it.

[@dmacpher]

Unbiblicals 😂 love it

[@murraypearson2359]

23:00 um, NO rocket engine of ANY kind can get a rocket "to lightspeed". It's fundamentally impossible

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

He obviously meant just under the speed of light. GTFO with your nitpick. Nobody's impressed. 🙄

[@ericmcmanus5179]

Are you saying "umbiblicals"? It sounds like thats what you're saying. I noticed this on the last video too. Its "umbilical". Not a big deal. Just something I noticed. Fantastic set a videos so far. Im loving this shuttle stuff.

[@frozentspark2105]

The amount of technological skill that went into that is just staggering

[@juanalzate7132]

Oops! Shuttle animation is missing he vertical stabilizer between seconds :05-:14

[@Yetipfote]

This is simply astonishing! Barbecue mode is just GENIUS!!!

[@MaxieWolfe]

The real engineering is the explosions we made along the way. Edit: I can now see the confusion. No I am not referring to Challanger or Colombia. I was thinking more like, the hyperbolic fuels and chemistry stuff.

[@MaxieWolfe]

@@b43xoit Thank you

[@jonny-b4954]

I still thinks it's nuts we don't have a real replacement for it. Such an invaluable piece of equipment. Such a thing to inspire pride. I still remember when we lost Columbia. And my dad was watching the tv at school when Challenger blew up.

[@anthonypelchat]

SpaceX is trying. Falcon 9 and Heavy are doing the work that the Shuttle did. And the landings are continuing to inspire. But Starship should be closer to full capabilities of the Shuttle.

[@jonny-b4954]

Well, they're doing some of the work the shuttle did. There's still missions we can't do that the shuttle was able to. Don't think we could easily attach a 2nd stage rocket to an existing satellite to extend it's life without the shuttle. I'm torn on outsourcing/subcontracting out that stuff to private, for profit companies. That's got to hurt NASA long term. Plus, I'm not confident at all of Starship from Space-X. Will make or break them, and then who's making rockets for NASA since they outsourced them? @@anthonypelchat

[@robelengida6211]

What an achievement for those people who worked on it. This is mind boggling. Thanks

[@trendyloca]

I like this clip so much it is very helpful to understand my love space shuttle. This is an insane video.

[@MayaUndefined]

"as Goddard intended"

[@KarlW613]

i have never seen a orbiter in real life. But the staff member inside the payload bay when it was being fabbed really gave a good sense of scale for me

[@chadb9270]

23:00 an ion drive cannot bring something theoretically to light speed. I’m sure you meant near light speed or to a significant fraction of light speed.

[@keithdavis938]

He did say “with enough fuel” - like an infinitely heavy amount of fuel? :-)

[@AndrewPenner]

excellent series! I'm looking forward to part 3 - of all the crazy engineering that went into the Space Shuttle, coming back to earth (without becoming bits of ash floating in the atmostphere) is the most interesting.

[@deviljelly3]

Unbiblicals? Sooo sweet 😂

[@Willow-rq8np]

Wrong

[@C0MPUTERPHILE]

*Umbilicals (not "umbiblicals)

[@Stubrok]

One of my favorite videos on this channel….in depth mission walkthroughs like this one was one hell of a good idea….

[@ronaldhill7180]

Flat earth believers please chime in.

[@bruce92106]

LOL! Nah they're in their home in their little cribs and playpens crying for more teet time ...

[@jimsvideos7201]

At the risk of being _that_ guy, the two medium-size engines on the back are the Orbital Maneuvering System, which was separate from the RCS.

[@nigelmtb]

This video is mistitled.

[@CamoDrako]

The name of that craft is the Orbiter or Orbit. It's not called the Space Shuttle

[@fron3107]

Takk!

[@dario2466]

This is so incredible. I get the impression you waited so long to cover the spaceshuttle because you wanted it to be in the best possible quality.

[@LucidLoki]

Wow, it’s crazy seeing Bruce Melnick now. I met him when I was a kid (I’m 43 now). He signed a photo for me and wrote a message on it. I think it said reach for the stars or something like that, I wish I could remember. Super cool guy.

[@wxb200]

The Shuttle was an absolute beautiful piece of engineering... I can't say more.

[@mrluckyuncle]

A lot of clever improvisation on the satellite repair mission.

[@joshuasells3793]

Love this story. Im glad it was you who covered it.

[@qfnkdv4771]

We need part 3 ASAP 😂 cant wait

[@smurfit06]

Amazing series so far, and I really enjoy using a mission as the framing structure for the series too, keeps it very grounded (no pun intended)