Your biggest misconception about the shuttle

[desktopsimmer]

Sorry for going off topic, last word on sail-planes/gliders from me.

The only 'thermals' that the shuttle can us would destroy a glass-ship, mind you to get to those heights be a very large wave lift The Eta is a weird glider, those wings look like they'll snap at any moment Personally, I prefer either the ASG29 or the Antares 18/20e. I created this for another sim

[Hyphon]

When I was (Real young) kid, I thought the external tank will deflate in space and carried back in the cargo bay...
(But no bad idea I think. That could really conserve some materials for building a new one every time the shuttle starts)

Remember, The Shuttle rides on that.... 

Sorry for Off-Topic! 

Not really... It just a big tank with pumps and isolation... After the fuel is out, it's just littering the orbit or falls back into atmosphere.

The trick will be to make it stable enough to resist the force's through start while SRB's (attached to the shuttle and external tank) and Space Shuttle main engine's are running.

[abortflight]

I very recently thought the shuttle would go almost into orbit, do the mission in 1 orbit, then reenter and land again

[STS78MEMBER]

Another misconception I had just remembered is that I never realized the "shuttle" was for low atmosphere missions.  I use to think it could go to the moon.

[uri_ba]

just discovered a new misconception I had..
always thought the Challenger blew up.. I just found out I was wrong...

[desktopsimmer]

yes, mostly aerodynamic forces cause the breakup of the shuttle. An over simplified version: the right SRB separated at the faulty O-ring, which caused the ET to have massive structure failure, which placed the shuttle in a serious angle into the air stream, which could not cope with the forces...

[JLM]

Almost everyone I know thinks the shuttle can land on the moon, But I tell them that the shuttle is an Shuttle vehicle and not a moon lander!

[Admin]

Almost everyone I know thinks the shuttle can land on the moon, But I tell them that the shuttle is an Shuttle vehicle and not a moon lander!

Then show them SSM2007 

/Admin

[JLM]

don't I d did

[SergeBMW]

Before I went to KSC and went inside, I think was Discovery Space Shuttle, I always thought that the cargo bay was all for the astronauts to live in 

[IceManHG]

I always assumed that the re-entry took only a few minutes....until I did my first full re-entry on STS-1. 

[SergeBMW]

WOW, I wonder what was wrong with me, my previous post was odd lol.

Well ill rephrase it, before I ever went to KSC and inside the Discovery Space shuttle, I always used to think that the cargo bay was where the astronauts lived, did experiments or whatever where they dont need there space suits.

[bjbeard]

Cheap

Common place

Moneymaker

Bout covers it...

[Cras]

I too thought Challenger exploded.  Saw on "When we Left Earth" when that ran on Discovery channel that the crew actually survived the break up of the shuttle.  That was some very sad news to hear indeed.

And I also thought that during re-entry that the Shuttle was engulfed in that plasma glow for a lot longer than I have experienced in SSMS.

[Augustus]

When I saw my first launch I thought the Main Engines are not working.
I know it better today.