With Shuttle Program Over, NASA Prepares to Smash Retired Craft Together

Well played, Popsci. Well played....

wow, ya got me! I was thinking there has to be a better use for all that scrap than a billion dollar demolition derby!

Playing chicken with the shuttles? Oh those crazy engineers. No really engineers are crazy. lol

Thank you popsci for lying to me. It would have been a crime to destroy the two shuttles, but an incredible sight at the same time.

Oooh. You had me for a sec, PopSci. Although I suppose the quite in the sub-headline could be real..

My heart stopped for a moment there.

It's not even April 1st...

oh, please! really people! just because they are crashing the shuttles into each other (I would like to see a video of this, btw popsci) does not mean they can't still be recycled! and anyway, there is already one at a museum (not to mention several replicas).
the same goes with the ISS. they will not crash it on the moon, as that will be an even bigger wast than the ocean, where it can still be salvaged. it was not meant for landing anyway, so if they put it on the moon, and they can't put it on mars because the fuel tanks won't hold enough fuel, it will be rendered un-inhabitable as a moon base. especially if it's being retired for being too behind with technology.
this is just a fun retirement for two expensive, impractical collections of scrap materials, and these materials can still be taken, after the crash.

why learn from your own mistakes, when you could learn from the mistakes of others?

and yes, while I did read, and know this isn't going to happen, it's still a good Idea.
why learn from your own mistakes, when you could learn from the mistakes of others?

the shuttles are made of a weak material. i bet that if they crashed at the distance pictured they would incinerate instantly. i hope the next lined of "shuttle" is made of diamond/Kevlar/titanium/Graphene.

I almost sh!t my pants.

There goes my hope of buying them at the surplus store.

The shuttles are not weak by any means not even close. They are very strong vehicles but there outer skin is very delicate the tiles on the outside that take the heat can be damaged by impact yet can withstand the heat of reentry. Yes the outside heat shield needs to be tougher or more resilient not many materials can withstand that kind of heat I'm not sure about Graphene but the other 3 would not take the heat or would be to heavy. The tiles on the shuttle had to be very light weight on the Mercury and Apollo space craft the heat shields were 1/3rd the weight of the craft and burned during reentry a new shield would have to be applied to go again the shuttle was much to big for such a heat shield and was designed to be re-launchable the tiles were supposed to be good for 100 trips. I think that on some of the older ICBMs that the outer shell of the warhead was beryllium not sure on that but whatever it was had excellent heat refractory properties it was extremely heavy though and that is where the trade off is something strong enough to withstand reentry but light enough to be launched by current rocket technology.

I first thought this was part of the Obama's Cash for Clunkers program.

To the new 2013 President,
Re-instate the Ares V program.

Lets go to Mars, if a one-way mission, send Obama!

@chaser73065
thanks for all that great info. makes sense now. so basically they weren't perfect in design but were good enough for low earth orbit. im guessing that on a trip to mars the shuttles just wouldn't cut it.

+1 to Paul.
Well done.

I was all ready to demand a video... then I read the second parts.... >.<.

The unknown is always right on the edge of the known.

i was looking on for a memorable destruction derby.....:(:(

did popsci just make tis up o for real
this so crazy y nasa want to destroy this shuttle y can they save it for making money like puting it in a museum n collect money when people come to visit it..o they can sale it to china for couple billions money............