Originally Posted by
pinkcat
it can fly further than that, I remember as a child going to see Enterprise (I think) it was 1983 and it was STN before it was a real airport. must find the photos sometime
Enterprise is a mock-up though. It weighs nowhere near what an actual shuttle weighs. Basically they can only load up the 747 they use with very little fuel before exceeding MTOW when a shuttle's stuck to the back. That makes for some short hauls. I dunno what the added drag does, nor what effect the shuttles wings have on lift and fuel requirements.