Looking at it closely the Xantium is modified to accommodate the external fuel tank, solid rocket boosters and the Space Shuttle. The original configuration would be bare of those parts that marry them to the Xantium.
Looking at the first pic. Its weird that the white boosters and fuel tank also make it to the moon. Since on the space shuttle those are meant to detach and fall into the ocean. I guess the Xantium needs the boosters. Easy answer is that its Stealth Force. And the boosters are probably packed with alien technology as well. The appearance necessary only to disguise the alien technology within the boosters. I believe that was even a plot point. When starscream blows up the Xantium, The Autobots had already escaped in the rockets that dropped into the ocean. That implys to me. That the boosters rely on energon rather than our typical rocket fuel. Wonder if the rockets have comfortable Autobot Seating.
Mearing said added the decommissioned Space Shuttle to keep it under their control. What she didn't mention is that they added a fuel tank and boosters to it.
My guess is thet when the Xantium landed it may have crashed, or been damaged, or had parts reporposed. The human-built feul tanks and boosters are probably replacements. But how would the shuttle control it alone?
Mearing said military control. Though I'd guess it part of the stipulation of treaty. NASA gets to add parts but it is supervised under the Wreckers. Implication is the Wreckers were with the Arcee sisters, Sideswipe, Skids and Mudflap, and Jolt arriving on Earth.
No way, NASA actually built an entirely new and functional shuttle to be used as a prop for the movie AND they really blew it up. I know because I watched the movie and there it was. And if I recall correctly, Bay also got permission to actually destroy downtown Chicago and cut a few skyscrapers in half after he showed them the giant Driller that Dreamworks physically built to use in the movie. Fun fact: it was driven by 563 little people simultaneously using a string & pulley system. And unlike the budget issues they ran into when they commissioned the US Military to build a functional transformable F-22, GM donated all the custom transforming vehicles they designed for use as the Autobots to ensure exclusive product placement. Though I think they paid a pretty penny to Mercedes when needing an actual Soundwave built, but I might have read that wrong. What I do remember clearly is that there was a pretty big hubub about transporting a planet larger than Earth into our atmosphere for a few days so that they could get the lighting & visual impact they wanted all perfectly captured on film. A lot of people were initially against the idea, but Michael Bay is "buddies" with the military, so he eventually won out. I'm sure he'll mention the whole fiasco on the DVD special features. But yeah, those are the facts. Outside of the text we see show up on the screen once in a while, these movies are 100% CGI free. All true
Makes sense to me. If the people aren't 100% sure about the Autobots being on Earth, making alien tech look like something we built would be a safe way to hide it. I don't remember this line.
