7/6     Are the Space Shuttles capable of taking off on a runway like an
        airplane, not to go into space but just to fly from one airport to
        another?
        \_ No.  The thrusters are designed solely for assistive thrust during
           vertical takeoff.  The space shuttle is a glider-shaped rocket.
           It is transported from one airport to another on the back of a
           specially modified 747 (see Moonraker)
           \_ I see.  I thought piggybacking on a 747 is because it's
              cheaper to fly with jet engines than with rockets.
              \_ cheaper, true.  But most likely it's because it's safer
                 and less complicated.
              \_ You know that big orange thing the orbiter is attached to
                 when the shuttle launches?  That's the fuel tank for its
                 main engines.  It contains the liquid hydrogen and liquid
                 oxygen fuel for the rocket engines at the tail of the
                 orbiter.  The orbiter itself doesn't contain a fuel tank for
                 those engines.  If you designed conventional atmospheric
                 flight capabilities into the orbiter, it would come at the
                 price of making the orbiter heavier (and every pound of weight
                 you add is a pound you take away from its payload capability,
                 or an exponential addition to the fuel needed to reach orbit).
                 Most of the time this is a nonissue, because the orbiter
                 usually lands at the same site where they launch it.  The
                 biggest problem this introduces is that the orbiter lands as
                 a glider, so you have to nail the landing every time (because
                 you can't fly around for another pass if something goes
                 wrong).  That's never been a problem, probably because the
                 pilots are really damn good, and thoroughly trained.
                 \_ I thought that the Shuttle basically can land itself.
                    \_ They recently (just this launch?) installed an autopilot
                       system that can in theory land it, but a glider is a
                       glider.  Bad gale of wind?  Slightly sticky aileron?
                       Better hope everything goes perfect the first time,
                       every time.
                       \_ Buran can launch and land by itself.
                 \_ So during re-entry the rocket engines at the tail of the
                    orbiter doesn't fire to slow down the orbiter?
                    \_ Nope, as pp noted, there's no fuel tank on the orbiter.
                       It's all about the heat tiles and aerobraking.
                 \_ When I was a kid, the shuttle age the fuel tank used to be
                    be white.  Why did they switch to orange afterwards?
                 \_ When I was a kid, the fuel tank used to be white.  Why did
                    they switch to orange afterwards?
                    \_ to save money on paint.  The External Tank just burns
                       up in the atmosphere after every launch (it is the only
                       part that isn't reused), so little point in a nice paint
                       job for it.
                        \_ money and weight!  every pound matters