Actually, I think you will still get your wish, just not with NASA. While mrmorris and I are sometimes debaters here on other threads, I have to completely agree with him in this instance. What NASA needs is something safe, reliable, quick, and inexpensive! So I suspect the capsule design is going to be chosen.<br /><br />However, when I say you are going to get your wish what I am referring to is Burt Rutan's next spaceship. His design will either be winged or lifting body, and that is a certainty! He and Virgin Galactic intend to have a White Knight 2 (much larger than WK1) carry a Spaceshiptwo up to an altitude of at least 30.000 feet, then SS2 is to carry some 9 passengers (and I presume at least one experienced pilot) up to a sub orbital flight. This craft will then land like the WK2 on a regular runway, so it is obviously going to have to be at least a lifting body type of design. <br /><br />Eventually I would say that the next goal of Rutan & company would be to steadily increase the carrying capacity and velocity of these craft till such craft become the first true hyper velocity craft capable of going halfway around the world in an hour or two at most! <br /><br />Both SS2 and other future craft have to be lifting bodies in the long run. This is because in the pure private business of space tourism you are NOT looking for astronauts, you are going to be taking just regular people (rich people at first) into the space environment. And such passengers are going to want to enjoy their experience, so for the first time passenger comfort is going to be a requirement! And this also means a lifting body type of space craft. To provide the room, and windows, don't forget you are going to need relatively large windows, after all, non-astronaut people are going to DEMAND a good view! Capsules are not commensurate with such requirements, only plane-like craft can provide these passenger oriented amenities!<br /><br />Of course, eventually Rutan & company