If the X-38 crew return vehicle (CRV), with its wingless lifting body, had become operational, it would have emerged as the first reusable human spacecraft produced since the Space Shuttle. The X-38 was canceled, an unfortunate victim of NASA budget cuts. No reusable human spacecraft has been developed in the twenty years since the X-38’s cancellation. Developing reusable spacecraft would have helped keep the costs of space exploration down. The monetary costs of space exploration have always been high. Developing new technologies and procedures for space exploration is expensive. During the 1960s, a Space Race had commenced, and NASA had … Continue reading The X-38 CRV: The Missed Opportunity for Reusable Human Spacecraft