MSNBC: Average shuttle mission costs over $1 billion

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6953606/

Feb 11, 2005. Article by Leonard David

Excerpts:

"a new assessment has been made on the program's overall price
tag to the taxpayer...average cost per flight has been about $1.3 billion
over the life of the program and about $750 million over its most
recent five years of operations..."

"The [projected] average cost per flight from the middle of 2005 through
2010, assuming 22 flights, is about $1.0 billion"

"...if the space shuttle program is terminated after 2010, then it will
have a total lifetime cost of about $173 billion...this will result in a
total program cost per flight of $1.3 billion."