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We can resolve the issues you raised if we set our minds to it. Our shuttle is aging. Other nations are entering space. It's time we decide to fish or cut bait. If we're not going to enter space in a serious manner, then let's close down NASA and get used to relegating ourselves to a nation in decline status. If we do wish to capture the high ground, then let's get off our asses and do it. A Manhattan level project is now called for to develop a SSTO space plane. It's doable. This is the right time. It would be good for our nation in a number of different ways, not the least of which would be dominance of the high ground.

We have spent $100s of billions of dollars to come to the place that we can put seven people in space for short periods of time. When not spent $10 to $20 billion to faciliate thousands being able to enter space?

In the early days I was a strong supporter of NASA. I wouldn't give you $20 for the whole program these days.

We have spent $100s of billions of dollars to come to the place that we can put seven people in space for short periods of time. When not spent $10 to $20 billion to faciliate thousands being able to enter space?

This is NASA we're talking about here. Their goals have never been to open up space for the average person. Even if they have this new whiz-bang SSTO toy they can be expected to:

1. Make it more inefficient and expensive than anyone could imagine. (They were predicting $100/lb. to LEO for the shuttle in the 70's.)

2. Only allow super-elites to ride their toy. No civilians except politically correct feel-good choices from NASA for a PR stunt. (McCauliffe,Glenn redux)

This just isn't a game that NASA wants to play. It's up to private non-government orginizations to get us to the point of Arthur C. Clarke's vision in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Sorry for the late reply. I had to go earn some ducats. I don't disagree with your point of view. NASA has been a dysfuntional agency for a couple of decades. I told someone a while back that I was going to be taking a couple of classes in Chinese. They asked why. I said that if I wanted to continue to pursue activities in the space world that I wanted to be able to converse with the operators.