On 19 Feb 2006 07:13:29 -0800, in a place far, far away, "Stephen
Horgan" made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/6/simberg.htm

Interesting article; however, it does seem to assume that the US is the
only nation on the planet, or at least the only one interested in
space.

No, it doesn't. But no other country is doing anything sensible with
regard to space transportation, either.

Neither is true, and allowing that the argument that the current
costs of launch to LEO are a function of US government policy is
weakened somewhat. If there was another much simpler and cheaper way to
get mass to orbit then what is stopping everyone else?

Everyone else tends to follow either the US, or Russian lead, and
assume that if there were a better way, one of them would be doing it.
That was in fact what Russia did, briefly, with Buran, when people
still imagined that the Shuttle was a good design.