Thinking ahead to what NASA do in terms of spaceflight after the Apollo landings, in 1969 the Space Task Group, headed Vice-President Agnew, offered several The Space Task Group featured three main options: human expedition to Mars, and Earth-orbiting space stations, a reusable space ferry Shuttle. President Richard Nixon the first two options too expensive. NASA then to push for a as a building block these other goals, especially space station. NASA officials that the Shuttle would more popular with Congress the White House than other, more expensive options. in 1971 the Office Management and Budget (OMB) NASA's budget, eliminating any for the foreseeable future.

During the development program that followed, some managers simply or ignored predictions of high flight rates as Indeed, some managers felt such lofty proclamations were for public consumption or relations purposes and thus not take them seriously. retrospect, Robert Thompson, the project manager at NASA's Space Center (JSC) said I never felt we fly more than once month, maybe 18 flights year [at the maximum]. if virtually all space were to fly aboard Shuttle, Thompson couldn t what the country would to do with all flights that were predicted Mathematica.22 Another key manager that there was a requirement for 55 flights year mainly to support economics of the system. effect, the tail was the dog; instead of a launch system versatile rugged enough to launch and thus reduce operations some people were artificially a launch market to a particular kind of