but until we actually get rocket scientists and not bureaucrats running things, nothing will change. With the vast amount of data that's been gathered by the scores of previous canceled projects, they could (should) have an operational vehicle ready in six months. A simple design is all that's needed. A basic lifting body with a metallic thermal protection system and a small deorbit motor. Most of the parts could be "off the shelf". With over 40 years of data at their disposal, this should be considered a small simple project for the people at NASA.

Take the HOPE airframe, replace the cargo bay with a passenger compartment. Then replace the engines with a smaller deorbit motor. Maybe put two small turbofans similar to those used on cruise missiles on the side to improve atmospheric range. Finally add a large air brake to the top similar to that used on F-15s.

The basic shape of a CRV