Spacefire:<br /><br />Mrmorris and others make very persuavise argruements for the capsule design. Quite frankly it's hard to debate them very effectively on the issue. At any point, they can win on the cost, or efficiency or some other points. The true telling is to plain work the math out. If the math is done correctly, it will hold the true answer. If it says the capsule is the best way to go then, by design, nature will force our hands in that direction. But the math is not the only part of the solution. This is why even though it's cheaper and more efficient to use and operate an economy car, given the option, most people would go with a luxury vehicle. The math does not lie. An economy car is cheaper and more efficient to operate than any luxury car. In this case, the capsule is effectively the economy car and the winged/lifting body design is the luxury car. What it boils down to is what your perspectives are. I also happen to know that the best latest technology usually starts in luxury cars then eventually trickle down to economy cars. Yes, the capsule can do the job, but I don't think it's the kind of technology we can invest in which will break open the final frontier. It sets the bar too low, which means we will have to do it again and that ends up being more costly in the longer. It's getting so that people are afraid to innovate because it's to expensive or too hard to do. No one wants to give the LB design a chanee. I think that's just a myopic view.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>