"Hansel" wrote in message ...
Yes, one could propose to scrap the shuttle and even the ISS, because they
aren't awefully cheap or effective to run but NOT until something better has
been put in place, otherwise you'll probably end up with nothing to fly in
the current climate of half baked ideas and unfinished concepts.

snip

However, one could propose to scrap the Shuttle and ISS because they
don't serve any credible purpose and consume resources that we need
for a serious program of space development.

What's the most pressing problem in space today? It's not whether or
not two to three people are sitting in the ISS. It's the cost to
launch something (and not just people!) into orbit. The high cost of
space launch inflates everything. It doesn't make economic sense to
launch a million dollar satellite if it costs tens of millions of
dollars to put that into orbit.

The space shuttle and the ISS don't address this issue. If the US were
serious about manned space exploration, they would help private
industry develope manned vehicles. That's one of the things about the
Bush program. He can get rid of the shuttle and make NASA a steady
customer of private companies rather than a well-funded rival who can
shut down the market for decades.


Karl Hallowell