To me, the new, better things that are coming are commercial crew vehicles, and, more generally, the shift to commercial decision making rather than government decision making.
The shuttle had to be cancelled to make commercial crew vehicles happen.
NASA set an ignominious record last week—but don’t blame the space agencyNASA is taking steps to ensure this kind of capability gap never again occurs.by Eric Berger - Apr 18, 2017 6:13pm BST
...longest gap in human launches from US soil.
Throwing the proverbial bat in the henhouse:
There is no gap. NASA is still launching it's astros to the ISS. But instead of using a NASA-owned system, it hires a foreign service (Roscosmos/Soyuz) to do so.As such, there won't be changing much once NASA switches to hiring Starliner or Crew Dragon's to get their astros to the ISS. Because NASA does not own Starliner or Crew Dragon either.There only is a gap IF one starts phrasing it the way Wayne deliberately didQuote from: Wayne Hale...longest gap in human launches from US soil.And that kind of gap is, IMO, not much of a problem to have. It sure as h*ll never bothered other space agencies enough to get their own indigenous manned launch system into orbit. China being the major exception here, not being driven by need, but by prestige.
Now that sounds like a big goal, and it is. More importantly though what it also provides is a window into what we want that future to look like. For instance, do we want the U.S. Government to be leading the way? For as much as I love my country, the U.S. of A., the answer is "no". Mainly because the U.S. Government really doesn't have a reason to expand humanity out into space. Do science in space, sure, and that would include humans. But what is the ROI for the U.S. Taxpayer for spending money on colonizing the Moon, Mars or other places? The U.S. Government just can't be counted on for long-term planning and commitment.
Wayne Hale has noted that the gap between manned U.S. Space missions from U.S. soil with American spacecraft is now greater than that between Apollo & Shuttle! Depressing... Not much to say about that. ...Other than when I said a couple years ago that this would happen; I was told to shut my mouth - I didn't know what I was talking about. I don't always like being right - especially about this subject... https://twitter.com/waynehale
I disagree. I think every space agency on Earth desperately wishes to be able to have their own indigenous human launch system to orbit. The only reason most don't is that they don't have the funding to do it.
There is no gap. NASA is still launching it's astros to the ISS. But instead of using a NASA-owned system, it hires a foreign service (Roscosmos/Soyuz) to do so.