I think you're right on calling the shuttle the equivalent of the
Zeppelin. While I don't think that winged spacecraft are an
evolutionary dead end, the current iteration of the space shuttle is.
I like the idea of canceling the shuttle and getting right to work on
the CEV/SDV right now instead of waiting for 5 years. We all know that
the next gen vehicle will fall behind schedule and over budget, so why
not give it a 5 year head start? Making lemonade from lemons.

Gene DiGennaro

Baltimore, Md.