A few things

Well, good to see the posts are back onto space-related subjects, and
off of the white-power crap and such.

NASA was working on a follow-on to the shuttle, up until last
year or so. It was called the X-33, I believe, and would have been a
single-stage-to-orbit craft. What torpedoed that one is that they
were working on some kind of composite-hydrocarbon for the fuel
tanks, ran into glitches, and ran out of cash. Congress came down
hard on NASA because of cost overruns on the station; NASA had to
cut somewhere, and chop! Away went the shuttle replacement craft.
Too bad, it seemed like they were making real headway with it (I
dunno, am just an outside observer).

Has anyone done some major studies on a "first colony"; have
seen a lot of info on huge rotating drums. How much work has been
done on what the size and scope of say, the first Moon or Mars colony?
Just wondering.

And, too bad about the Saturn... May it rest in peace, what a
wonder of a booster.