Would a TSTO "VentureStar" have worked?

[vt_hokie]

If NASA had chosen to pursue a two stage system when it invested in X-33, might things have turned out differently? Could we be looking today at a worthy successor to the space shuttle - perhaps a modern version of Lockheed's "Starclipper" - instead of the pathetic CEV capsule/SRB stick combo?

 

[gunsandrockets]

It might have worked. But adding stages would have defeated the whole point of the Venturestar. It's simpler to just revert to the older Starclipper design with the expendable drop tank.<br /><br />In any case the CEV isn't really for LEO access. (Until Griffin came along ISS access wasn't even part of the CEV RFP!) The CEV is primarily for deep space exploration and therefore not directly comparible. Even though I am no fan of the ESAS plan, I am a fan of the VSE, and the simple truth about the CEV can not be denied.