[Mikey]

Wouldn't it make more sense to launch the shuttle with some kind of missile on board and take it out while in space then to wait for good weather and shoot it down from the surface?

[cbkaty]

Wouldn't it make more sense to launch the shuttle with some kind of missile on board and take it out while in space then to wait for good weather and shoot it down from the surface?

NASA has a peace policy......really...Lots of peaceniks at that place that have no use for the military.

[RightWhale]

The plan is to hit a tank on the satellite carrying the toxic propellant hydrazine

This tank is 40 inches diameter. Hitting that would be remarkable.

[TalonDJ]

Wouldn't it make more sense to launch the shuttle with some kind of missile on board and take it out while in space then to wait for good weather and shoot it down from the surface?

So, a year or two to develop a space launched missle we don't currently have, months to get a shuttle prepped, hundreds of millions of dollars, or just wait a day or two for weather? If we sent of the shuttle we would just pick it up and bring it back or move it to a new orbit. The shuttle has done that several times. It is just not at all cost-effective. The REALY point of shooting it down is to show the chi-coms and the russians that we can.

[HighWheeler]

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to launch the shuttle with some kind of missile on board...?

— —

On any travel mission, you only send out (or up) what you need. A kinetic missile is all we need.