Do you think Space Shuttle landing is equivalent because you like all the extra weight and complexity of a landing gear, or because you like having to build a giant runway?

Unnecessarily snarky but 100% correct!

Of course, being able to land on runways gave the Space Shuttle more choices for emergency landings than needing a chopsticks catcher.

That said, the Space Shuttle holds records for the most humans killed in spaceflight, and the most expensive cost per kilogram to LEO.