In sci.space.policy Jeff Findley wrote:

Look at what NASA is doing with the CEV. They're setting requirements for
the CEV and will ultimately maintain control of the project from cradle to
grave. The chances that another organization would be allowed to buy their
own copy of the CEV is virtually nil.

Maybe, maybe not. The USAF has allowed Boeing and Lockheed to sell Delta II
and Atlas II launches, respectively, to commercial customers. It remains
to be seen whether NASA will be as generous and, if so, whether anyone
would be willing to pay the price.

If they weren't interested in maintaining control, they would buy manned
launches from US companies and let the companies who win the launch
contracts provide the manned space vehicles.

In an ideal world. In the current world we'll hopefully be able to keep
NASA control limited to the CEV itself, forcing them to buy launches from
commercial launch vehicles. That would get them out of the manned *launch*
business and into merely the manned *spaceflight* business -- a substan-
tial improvement.

Mike

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Michael Kent Apple II Forever!!
St. Peters, MO