Reply #1: Flight Gap [View All]

[RT Atlanta]

I hear where you're coming from and feel a little of the same. But... our country had a 6 year gap from the end of Apollo (ASTP in '75) to Columbia's first flight in '81. Of course, the big difference is that the country had a firm collective decision (shuttle/orbiter) and the delays were construction/testing related, rather than a true - what do we do now? since Orion's cancellation.

The foregoing puts me into the category of strongly pulling for the SpaceDev's Dream Chaser, SpaceX's Dragon and the related suborbital crowd to really advance the ball - especially with LEO - while, hopefully, the nation decides where to go next (asteroid and Mars) and then has the balls to make a firm commitment to doing this.