More like 60s, actually. The Enterprise drop tests were in the mid-70s, and most of the shuttle's design elements were frozen while NASA was still going to the moon. Think of it this way: NASA has been launching people into space for 44 years. The shuttle has been NASA's launch vehicle for over half of that time.Neutron said:Personally I think they need to retire the shuttle and come up with a new plane/rocket to access space. Don't get me wrong, I like the shuttle, but it is 70s technology.