This was supposed to be in place by 2001
I still feel that while the space shuttle was an awesome machine, it was the wrong direction to take. There was a Mars exploration programme in the wings, and a moonbase, and lots of other cool things. And the US was the only nation on the planet capable of pulling it all off.
And we can still do it! America, fuck yeah!
Not sure. In theory, sure, but NASA is heading in the wrong direction, IMHO.
In related news, Branson is also heading that way. What's so cool about not reaching orbit?