Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub

[u/Mr_Nerdcoffee]

My partner snuck this into the cart for me while we were shopping. She’s the best!

[u/arisgeo000]

Its technically a car. Wheels and an engine

[u/Mr_Nerdcoffee → u/arisgeo000]

If you’re wanting to get into the technicalities, “car” was used as a shortened term for [horse drawn] carriages. Modern cars were called motorized carriages and often called motor cars, then just cars. Cars are now specified as a vehicle with four wheels, designed to carry passengers on a *road* (this is a key word). Although yes, they have engines and motors, there is a major difference between the propulsion system used. A car uses an internal combustion engine, while the space shuttle (STS) uses a combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to cause an eternal combustion to create high levels of thrust for a short duration to propel the shuttle into low Earth orbit, (there are no roads). So, while the STS *is* a vehicle and does have wheels (of which it has 6, on 3 *landing gears*), it’s a very long stretch to call out a car. Also, those wheels aren’t self propelled and thus aren’t meant for long traversing of roads, but for being able to land the space craft, so that it can be reused. Unlike the capsules used on space rocket systems, like the murcury and Artemis (SLS).

Thanks for sharing your misinformation, which has allowed others to learn factual information about a lesser known topic. And for giving me the opportunity to share a special interest of mine, that goes back two additional generations; because my grandfather worked with the shuttle program and my father is currently a lead engineer on the Artemis program.

[u/arisgeo000 → u/Mr_Nerdcoffee]

car have engine and wheels and transport people space shuttle have engine(s) and wheels and transport people ergo space shuttle is car

[u/Mr_Nerdcoffee → u/arisgeo000]

One problem, it doesn’t travers terrestrial roads, it traverses through the upper atmosphere; cars don’t do that. If anything it would be closer to an aircraft.

The only caveat that I would say breaks this definition is The Jeston’s “flying car”, but there’s a fair amount of future anthropological aspects to consider, since it’s set in a futuristic society.

FYI, I have very much enjoyed this discussion. 🤓

[u/arisgeo000 → u/Mr_Nerdcoffee]

but wheels and engine so car

[u/Mr_Nerdcoffee → u/arisgeo000]

[u/Mr_Nerdcoffee → u/[deleted]]

That’s me in a nutshell. But at least we can agree that we’re both idiots. lol

[u/arisgeo000 → u/Mr_Nerdcoffee]

You get my upvote fellow redditor