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by rwmj 691 days ago
Its a bit of a nonsense calculation anyway. Fundamentally the shuttle's engines had a maximum thrust they could generate, and there's no amount of money that could easily change that. That dictates the maximum shuttle + crew + payload weight and it's just a question of how you parcel that out. Include a heavy printer, and you constrain the maximum crew and/or payload. (There was one flight, recently covered on HN - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-93 - where they flew with fewer crewmembers because the payload was so heavy).
1 comments

There are reasons for not using maximum load: Fuel. And the fuel to carry the fuel.

Thus even if there is capacity limits there may be reasons for loading less mass to reduce cost of a mission.

Fuel is not a significant mission cost.