When I was around 13 years old ,they put the first Shuttle Orbiter into service, I always thought why don't they build a real space 1999 style eagle? It's a perfect desgin for moon missions barring the need to make "real world changes" which seem to be rather minor.I ask you why don't they realy try to build something, that is more useful like this kind of craft? someone on this site was saying that the EAGLE could be trucked up in 2 trips if they were to use it in combination with the shuttle, well NASA plans to scrap the shuttle, and they realy have'nt put forth a replacement yet. I think that would be a mistake the orbiter could be used to bring up some "L.E.M."s for use on the moon... it would be a start any how. Even though, the Lock-Martin X-33 might be big enough to bring up a craft like the EAGLE in one trip, unfortunitly that ship may never fly either, becuase of it's "enormus price tag". Insted of that I read somewhere that they are thinking of going back to these Gianoremous balistic style SATURN-V type rockets "becuase of there proven reliabilty". which are pretty much toatly non re-usable and lots of people are going Jeeze did'nt we do this before? and yeah they'd be right about that, I get so up set every time i see concept drawings NASA has come up with for the next gen. ships they plan on using it seems like they are going in reverse.. but they talk about how much it would cost for these craft. But they would be more than just clumsy tin cans, ships such as the X-33 and a real lander they would be tools. If u want to talk cost just think about it! The Shuttle was developed as a cheaper form of space craft in the first place. The orbiter is mostly reusable, but they think at 600 million per luanch it's to expencive ,well I'll tell you if they go back to stuff they can't re-use the cost will be far more, to build a whole nother craft for every luanch can you Imagine a Saturn-V type program in todays econemy? I don't think that NASA has any true vission of where to go from here, or how to go forward. From what I've seen,... they are about to realy start wasting money on ships they already have used, that have very little practicality, if they do that they will end up killing the whole program. They need to go froward NOT back yes it's gonna cost money! To make newer more functional ships, everything costs money! But you must move forward! Not go back to a "horse and buggy" once you build a "model A" I think that they need to stop thinking of how much something costs them to do!!! and focus more on how much the cost will be to all of us and our children, if we don't get off this planet. At the rate our population is growing and rate at which our real-estate, and resources are being depleated as a result of this, it's realy scarey to think of what the cost will be to us all! If we don't make this a SURVIVAL type of effort? We must do something real as far as colonization of other planets and moons, and to become a space-faring civilization before it's too late! Or else we will kill each other off over territory, fuel, food and religion. If we don't do something soon there simply won't be any point in having children at all! becuase there won't be a future for them. I just don't understand why people think of the cost of space exploration instead of the alternative which is our extinction. everyone should be talking to our polititions, NASA, private companies and the openents to funding our spce exploration programs but sadly the only voices i hear about space exploration these days are from people against it becuase of it's cost and claims that we been there before.... i say to you the next time you hear someone say these things you might ask them if they can put a price tag on thier son or daughter's life? Do they realy think that throwing money at dissaster relief, world wide hunger, boarder security and energy-conservation is anything more than a band-aid, or damage control, On things that will soon be out of control? and if they try to hand you this garbage about GOD and he never intended for us to leave this planet then you ask them if that realy sounds natural to them? dose'nt every thing in nature leave the nest eventualy? even plants scatter thier seeds on the winds.Then ask them when was the last time actualy god told them personaly to do anything? I Pray to a GOD....one that said go forth and be fruitful I don't remember anything about having to die with this planet. the planet will die, it will happen no-matter what we do to try to avoid it..we are pretty advanced tech-knowlogicly but we are not gods our selves as of yet...but we CAN leave to find other places to be. I just wish more "college educated people" just had some common sence.