What if the space programm was controlled by Apple...

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06 Jan 2013, 1:22 pm

They certainly would have not economised money by cuting money for the painting space shuttle tank, rather they would have kept the white painting adding hundred of pounds of material; can't have the shuttle look bad isn't?
Rather that been made of interchangable pieces spacecraft would be soldered in one piece. If a piece is failing, it's too bad but you have to replace the whole spacecraft.
Rather that ugly command boards full of ugly switchs and things in the cockpit... There would be only a few touchscreen, greatly increasing the complexity of the onboard electronics and softwares, which in turn greatly increase the propability of failure of critical systems.
And about the radiators, we can't let that ruining the so important design. Hide the radiators in the struscture. The astronauts and critical systems are cooking inside? That's just too bad, but design is IMPORTANT.

All Hail to private industry!! !

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physicsnut42
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06 Jan 2013, 5:33 pm

Tollorin wrote:

All true. But at least if it was run by Apple it would get a decent amount of funding, however pointless.
It seems that a space program run by Apple would be the polar opposite of the current one: our government-funded space program is exceedingly low on funds but does a remarkable job considering (and the shuttles don't look particularly pretty), while a space program run by Apple would get lots of money but would not work very well (and the shuttles would look fantastic).

Apple's philosophy works great on computers, but not on exploration.

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ruveyn
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06 Jan 2013, 8:26 pm

Tollorin wrote:

All hail private industry indeed. Except private builders like Burt Rutan and Elon Musk build vehicles that are (1) better than anything produced by NASA and (2) cost one private dime on each government dollars.

It was private industry the built both commercial and military aircraft, the best in the world. Geniuses like Kelly Johnson at the Skunk Works made the greatest aircraft that ever flew.

Apple specializes in computers for the consumer market. They do not build serious air and space vehicles.

Just keep in mind that the spaceship that put Americans on the Moon was built by private industry.

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Evinceo
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07 Jan 2013, 2:17 am

If Apple ran NASA, spacecraft cost three times as much, be made in china, and all of the cockpit instruments would be removed because they make it look too intimidating.

Hermes9
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09 Jan 2013, 11:16 am

The shuttle would have one buttons: launch. Upon launch, it wouldn't really go anywhere, but it'd play you the most awesome video of you blasting through intergalactic space at unthinkable speeds.

Then after a few minutes of video, it'd demand you upgrade to the newest shuttle to continue at some astronomical cost.

CyborgUprising
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12 Jan 2013, 7:48 pm

Well, the white shuttles are a start... Just slap on an Apple decal and call it something short (one syllable word) prefixed by the lowercase letter "I," like iShip or something equally unimaginative. They would also cost 3-5 times as much as the competitor's model.

Rakshasa72
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12 Jan 2013, 8:52 pm

They would probably try claim a patent on the concept of "Space Flight" and sue anyone who tried to "copy" their idea.

ruveyn
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12 Jan 2013, 9:11 pm

NASA has done such a good job that we have to hitch rides up to ISS on Russian vehicles.

I assume you guys are aware that virtually all aircraft made in the U.S. is manufactured by private firms. And that private firms (at their own initiative) were the first to put up sufficiently large and safe passenger aircraft so as to make passenger flight affordable and feasible. The government did not do that. Private industry did that.

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