Criticism of the Space Shuttle program costs through amortization. Development costs were expected to be recouped through frequent access to space. These claims were made in an effort to obtain budgetary funding from the United States Congress. Beginning in 1981, the space shuttle began to be used for space travel. However, by the mid-1980s the concept of flying that many shuttle missions proved unrealistic and scheduled launch expectations were reduced 50%. Following the "Challenger" accident in 1986, missions were halted pending safety review. This hiatus became lengthy and ultimately lasted almost three years as arguments over funding and the safety of the program continued. Eventually the
Space Shuttle Project rescued in the game. Players that fail to maintain a flawlessly working space shuttle will see the entire shuttle mission fail. Every mission has a lengthy list of secondary objectives that require speed, patience in addition to pure trial and error. A complete shuttle guidance system is included in the game's instruction manual. Finally, the player must land the shuttle by again performing Quick Time Events that correspond to landing maneuvers before finally landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Players get a congratulations screen featuring then-US president George H. W. Bush after finishing all six missions. Allgame gave "Space Shuttle