A successor to the STS with Atlas 5 ?
http://www.space.com/12331-nasa-private-rocket-launches-astronaut-crews.html
The CST 100 or the Dream Chaser ?
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1323
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/partners/sierranevada/index.html
Somehow, I wonder if the Dream Chaser team has figured a way to save 7 astronauts from a catastrophic failure at launch ?
That's why Hermes was cancelled....Is it possible to push the spacecraft from the ground to an altitude high enough for it to glide back to the landing strip? By using a parachute? But then, why the wings? And a lifting body will need speed to land.
I'm afraid a capsule configuration is the answer.