Mark: CATS is obviously key to opening up space and must be part of private enterprise to achieve its full potential. However, expecting it to go fully private now overlooks the key business concept of "barriers to entry" (such as high initial investment cost - that's the way it is or regulation - possible issue) and the track record of such attempts. It's going to take a major investment to bring access into the realm of affordability for a large private enterprise market IMO, and I doubt the next step will happen without government support. A large market or an extremely lucrative one is needed to fund private industry based improvements
********

I have posted before on the problem of large capital investment as a formidable barrier to entry.
The best path seems to me to be angel investors and possibly an untapped market for rocket racing. NASCAR in the skies. That would allow incremental private advancement of low cost techniques.
Perhaps a Bush admin could be sold on making the regulatory obstacals simpler.

-philw (likes cats AND Cheap Access To Space)