He means that the Shuttle contained very important concept failures. It was a spacecraft which was designed pretty well, to fit some use criteria, but that criteria was made by political, and not scientific, reasons. The design fitted that use pretty well, but it was not necesary at all, in fact, such attempts to make the shuttle be more economic ended up doing quite the opposite. Until we have SSTO, spacecraft dont need wings.
Of course they need wings if they are fantasy built like the shuttle, because it has to still create and atmospheric glow as it comes back from fantasy space to GLIDE back to the ground at some out of the way air field.
Look how comfortable the fantasy aquanauts were going up into fantasy space and look how comfortable they were when they fantasy glided back to Earth.
And you're telling me that this craft was not very good? This fantasy craft was the bees knees. Flash Gordon would have been quite proud of it.
Here's your space. Now bear with me and read and understand what I'm about to say. Wear safety glasses as well because there's nothing as important as wearing safety glasses.
Anyway, here's the deal.
When you were a kid, your dad came home with a new car, or what was new to you if you were one of those families that could only afford second hand cars, like we were.
Anyway, your dad comes home with a new car and you all run out. " gee pap, the car is space age new..wow."
"Yes son, it's nice and sleek compared to that box car we drove in."..."Gee pap, wait till I tell all my friends."
5 years later.
"Come and have a look at our new car. I traded in the old one for this even sleeker, faster more comfortable car. It costs a bit more in fuel but it's sleek and comfortable and we don't have to be cramped up anymore."
"Gee pap, it seems like we just get better all the time. Better, stronger, faster."
10 years later.
"Pap, what happened to the sleek new models of car you always bought?"
" Ahhh son...It was nice while it lasted but I've decided to buy this car. Remember this car?...it's the same car I bought when you were still in ammonia stinking shorts. I decided that this is the way forward.2
"But pap, people will think you've turned into some kind of eccentric by going back to the old dangerous cars that we all had to cram into."
"Yep...isn't it wonderful."
You see, your so called space travel has went backwards. Now this should open your eyes but it won't. I''m sure it won't....but it should.
You see, a rocket taking off looks like a missile from a distance.
A shuttle taking off , of the size purported would be found out as time went on, due to more and more people becoming suspicious of it all, to the point of some clever dick sussing it out by taking care to analyse it in real time and realising that we've been duped to hell.
The way to alter it is to go back to the old fashioned way of duping the public. rocket take off and a landing in the sea or on deserted ground in the middle of nowhere, far away from prying eyes.
But of course, all this would be just too expensive and all people in on it can't keep this quite.
You watch films every week and the actors and actresses will not tell you the story line if they're told not to. Of course; it's only a film...but then again, your Cady Coleman and Sunny William's character's are also filming in front of a live audience in the studio, as well as good old Chris (guitar man/singer) Hadfield.
Anyone with a brain in their skull can understand that no shuttle of the proportions of the one we are told is sent up into space, can sit on a launchpad on those frigging struts, never mind lift off. Anyone who think's otherwise after checking it all out, is not really worth talking to because it switches from naive to blatant lying from that point.