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I know that originally, the shuttle was supposed to be capable of carrying up to 65,000 lbs. to LEO.
I know that after Challenger, that capability was derrated to about 55,000 lbs. to LEO.
But IIRC, no shuttle payload (or payloads) has been anywhere near that size.
What is the largest shuttle payload ever carried?
What what is the largest ever returned from space?
IIRC, the shuttle has never actually retrieved a satellite and brought it back to Earth has it?
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STS-75 (Columbia) was one of the largest payloads, the Shuttle could have been a great thing but its payload numbers were fake because the majority of STS payload was all Shuttle. Try to compare Shuttle's payload with the lift capability of a Buran or Saturn-V, it just doesn't compare. Skylab weighed in at a very hefty 77,000 kg could a Shuttle lift ever match something like that ?
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Payload return capability is 14 mt...
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Spacelab or Columbia and its laboratory cargo this was the heaviest payload to be returned to Earth
Chandra space telescope was the heaviest payload launched by the STS Shuttle Columbia
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Buran could take 25-30 tons internally. I don't think STS could match that. Without the orbiter, 90 tons or so.
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