{PDF} From Earth to Orbit : An Assessment of Transportation Options National Research Council; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems; Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board; Committee on Earth-to-Orbit Transportation Options; Donna V. Porter; National Academy of Sciences,

If the United States hopes to continue as a leader in space, it must invest now in better earth-to-orbit technology by replacing obsolete launch facilities while also developing a new class of more robust and reliable vehicles. From Earth to Orbit provides strategies to reduce launch costs while increasing the reliability and resiliency of vehicles. It also recommends continued improvements for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its subsystems and the development of a Space Transportation Main Engine (STME).