🚀 go-pugleaf

The problem with the shuttle is that the cost of getting the shuttles
ready for the next flight are too large.  It was not anticipated that
so many people would be required.  Indeed it was planned that the
shuttle would be operated like a commercial airplane.  Any future
reusable spacecraft must be planned to reduce these costs.  However,
the almost interminable discussions of shuttle vs. something else
haven't gone into detail on operational costs.  Does anyone have
information relevant to the following questions?

1. What is the distribution of manpower between various functions
of maintaining the shuttle operation?

2. How many people actually lay hands on the shuttles and shuttle
components between flights?

3. How many supervisors are there?

4. What costs are imposed by the split between Cape Canaveral,
Houston and other locations?

5. Would having more shuttles reduce the cost per flight?

6. Does NASA plan to reduce manpower?

7. What shuttle components require the most manpower between
flights?

8. How much expense is due to layers of bureaucracy?

9. How did manpower expended in shuttle operations change
in response to the Challenger crash?
--
John McCarthy, Computer Science Department, Stanford, CA 94305
*
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.