Shuttle Replacement?

I might have spoken too soon. This site outlines what is expected to be NASA's choice to replace the Shuttle system. It is strikingly similar to proposals from several near future sci-fi novels. It almost makes sense to base the Shuttle replacement on proven propulsion hardware from the Shuttle.

Another competitor is t/Space which stands for Transformational Space Corporation. The main partner of interest in this group is Scaled Composites--the company that brought you SpaceShipOne. Their design is a whole new system, but it appears to be well thought out and is already in testing phases. I would expect that this will be developed with or without NASA's cooperation as a private space vehicle.

These are only two of the projects that are out there, but they both offered more concrete data than the other competitors. Here are, however, links to some of those proposals.

Lockheed's Proposal