Question 3a...
Some time ago, I was asked (as part of a rather spectacularly unsuccessful attempt of mine to do the 30-questions meme) whether I would choose a Soyuz or a Shuttle to fly into space?
I assume there is an unspoken "and why?" at the end of the question.
Personally, I think I would prefer to fly a Soyuz over a Shuttle, because of what I perceive as being a "sports car" factor that might provide a more memorable or intense experience.
The Shuttle is, after all, a 100-metric ton vehicle whose mass is comparable to that of the station I assume it would be docking to; you can think of it as flying around on Earth in a large Airbus or Boeing airplane, where the commander and pilot are up front and your status as passenger is mightily apparent.
The Soyuz, on the other hand, is a smaller vehicle where the pilot, flight engineer, and passenger (or second flight engineer) are sitting next to each other, in a vehicle that is much more maneuverable. Here, I have in mind the first time I sat in a small commercial aircraft - a so-called "puddle jumper" - during a twilight flight from Ft. Myers, Florida to Jacksonville as a passenger, but in the co-pilot's seat. Between the scenery outside and the play of the instrumentation, it was a pretty interesting experience, and I would expect that a ride in a Soyuz - with a ringside seat on the goings-on from liftoff to splashdown - would be similarly interesting.
This preference and supporting opinions are based on my own terrestrial experience in aircraft as well as on various readings and conversations with folks who have flown in space and may or may not reflect any kind of reality.
Cheers...
I assume there is an unspoken "and why?" at the end of the question.
Personally, I think I would prefer to fly a Soyuz over a Shuttle, because of what I perceive as being a "sports car" factor that might provide a more memorable or intense experience.
The Shuttle is, after all, a 100-metric ton vehicle whose mass is comparable to that of the station I assume it would be docking to; you can think of it as flying around on Earth in a large Airbus or Boeing airplane, where the commander and pilot are up front and your status as passenger is mightily apparent.
The Soyuz, on the other hand, is a smaller vehicle where the pilot, flight engineer, and passenger (or second flight engineer) are sitting next to each other, in a vehicle that is much more maneuverable. Here, I have in mind the first time I sat in a small commercial aircraft - a so-called "puddle jumper" - during a twilight flight from Ft. Myers, Florida to Jacksonville as a passenger, but in the co-pilot's seat. Between the scenery outside and the play of the instrumentation, it was a pretty interesting experience, and I would expect that a ride in a Soyuz - with a ringside seat on the goings-on from liftoff to splashdown - would be similarly interesting.
This preference and supporting opinions are based on my own terrestrial experience in aircraft as well as on various readings and conversations with folks who have flown in space and may or may not reflect any kind of reality.
Cheers...