mrmorris,<br /><br />I have to wonder if you are considering design requirements to be design flaws. The idea of a lifting body with enough wing area to allow gliding is inherently more complicated than a ballistic rentry vehicle with no terminal guidance, just as a solid bullet is much simpler than an armour-piercing high explosive round.<br /><br />The original design concept of the space shuttle was for a vehicle about the size of the current shuttle, with a small payload capacity, which was carried to an altitude of about 20 miles by a fly-back booster. The fuel contained in the body of the orbiter would be adequate to boost it into orbit.<br /><br />This was to be a prototype design, to prove the concept of using a lifting body in rentry, as well as the ability to land on a runway. The engineers who came up with this concept were well aware of the advantages and drawbacks of capsules, and they wanted something better. Because the purity of this original vision was ruined by the realities of the time, we have developed a very prejudiced view of this type of vehicle.<br /><br />We will probably see a return to a capsule design for the next manned space vehicle. We will also see a return to systems to protect the crew during lannding, such as ejection seats, and/or retro rockets, or air bags, to slow the capsule from the velocity it will attain while being lowered by parachute. We will also see a return to large recovery forces standing by for mobilization during landings, which will have to be carried out in unpopulated areas.<br /><br />Ultimately, if space flight is indeed to become common, the lifting body/glider design will almost certainly return, as it is the only known method of allowing a returning spacecraft to land on a runway at a designated location. This type of vehicle may never be suited to carrying bulk cargo, and may have to be used in conjunction with step rockets which do the heavy lifting. Launching vertically from the ground is also likely to g <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>