“The Space Shuttle did have engines.”
Of course, you are correct. Please let me rephrase:
The space shuttle did not have air-breathing engines that could operate in the atmosphere. ;-)
You are correct. And the Space Shuttle was nothing without the strap-on rockets, unlike the Blackbird which I admire.
I saw the first Space Shuttle launch from US 1 in Titusville. I saw in person the Challenger explosion from Melbourne, FL. I saw two shuttle night launches from the VIP area at Kennedy Space Center.
I saw a Saturn 5 in the Vehicle Assembly Building for a moon flight.
I regret that I never saw a SR-71!