Space Shuttle: Mistake or Triumph?

Today you will take a position on the space shuttle - was it a triumph or a mistake?  We have read quite a bit about the shuttle, but here are a few more articles to consider:

MISTAKE:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/04/18/5-horrifying-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-space-shuttle/2/

http://launiusr.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/assessing-the-space-shuttle-a-thirty-year-mistake/

A statement from Alex Roland, a former NASA employee who issued a criticism of the shuttle program in 1985, BEFORE the Challenger disaster: http://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Documents/Congress/Senate/FEBRUA~1/roland_statement.html

TRIUMPH:

In the words of NASA employees: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/shuttle_station/shuttle_memories_prt.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/space-shuttle-30-years-of-fascinating-facts/

BOTH:

http://www.space.com/12166-space-shuttle-program-cost-promises-209-billion.html

Now, make a decision.  Was the space shuttle a triumph or a mistake?  Take a position and explain your views with supporting evidence in an essay (3 paragraphs minimum).  Be sure to use specific information from the various sources we have read this week!  Email me your essay (it may not be handwritten) at james_trainer@dpsk12.org.