Re: Space shuttle question.............. Why the huge tower?
 

Hi wacki --

Not sure, but I'd guess the main thing is the fact that it allows stuff to be loaded into the upright cargo bay and serviced under nicely controlled conditions. Protection from the elements is probably also a minor bonus; so is the emergency crew exit system. (There are lines that run from the upper levels of the tower down to the ground. In an emergency that occurs on the launchpad and requires evacuation, the crew hops into some baskets and flies down these lines at, approximately, ludicrous speed.)


-mn