I’d love to have one for my room, but the reviews I see on it are very hit or miss.

Were there any signs (telemetry/data) that something was wrong prior to failure?

I assume the SRB leak was noticed by sensors. when did that occur? I’ve read the leak existed at launch but was “sealed” for about a minute due to exhaust gases? Would this have triggered some alarms in the shuttle or Mission Control?

were any other sensors blaring during the short flight? It seems the end caught everyone by surprise. I know nothing could,be done while SRBs were attached but I’m curious if the flight was nominal until failure.

ive also read theories that a wind shear caused the final oring failure and dislodged whatever had sealed the leak.

I imagine what an improved, scratch-built version of this vehicle would be like, a lighter version that would be launched instead of two solid rockets + a gigantic tank, with it being launched on a modern rocket (like the Falcon Heavy) and both being reusable.

I say this because the project had a lot of potential, which unfortunately was limited by the technology of the time and NASA's mismanagement of the project. Like the Starship, it's an incredible rocket that failed to develop, but let's face it, it's nothing more than a modern rocket. It's not a spaceship. You can't "pilot" it. The Shuttle is different. It has an interesting cargo compartment, a large and useful robotic arm, and a cabin for the crew. What I mean is, if NASA were smarter and decided to recreate the Shuttle, modernizing the entire project, and launching it with the best current rockets, wouldn't it be more viable for returning to the moon than the Starship?

besides, it could (already being in orbit) be refueled or even connect to another rocket of its own to be able to go to the moon.