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 or left stranded after it is destroyed by a shower of high speed orbital debris. The 2017 Lego film "The Lego Batman Movie" features a hybrid between the Batmobile and a Space Shuttle, named "the Bat Space Shuttle" by Dick Grayson. It's clearly based on the Lego City set 3367 ("Space Shuttle"), but is black and weapon-equipped. The Space Shuttle has also been the subject of toys and models; for example, a large Lego Space Shuttle model was constructed by visitors at Kennedy Space Center, and smaller models have been sold commercially as a standard "LegoLand" set. A 1980 pinball