[Frank_Discussion]

Thanks for the clarification - I did indeed misunderstand you.

A billion to send up a Shuttle? That's an exaggeration of at least $300 million, IIRC. Still damn expensive, though, any way you look at it. It HAS to get cheaper than that!

Don't get me wrong, the NASA way is very expensive. But it is doable, and I think that doing it is a good idea at even the current price. Waiting isn't making it cheaper. As with the Moon, private enterprise will make the money work out, but the federal monies aren't as big a hit in the pocketbook for a government mission as the naysayers would scare us all into believing.

I'm reading "The Martian Race" by Gregory Benford right now, just as a coincidence. The scenario is interesting, and seems to be plausable. I suggest to the list that y'all read it.

[Physicist]

A billion to send up a Shuttle? That's an exaggeration of at least $300 million, IIRC.

It depends how you count it. There's a lot of NASA infrastructure devoted to the Shuttle that could simply be eliminated if the Shuttle stopped flying, but they don't count that towards the Shuttle cost.