Here is a very nice article by the RocketMan about why we don't see any RLV's (Reusable Launch Vehicles) today. It goes into the history, and is quite good and readable.
Why have expendable launch vehicles essentially reigned supreme for the entire history of human spaceflight? It is a question that seemingly does not have an easy answer, because building a complex, expensive vehicle that is discarded after each launch seems like it would be more expensive than operating a vehicle that could be reused for every flight. To understand some of the reasons why reusable vehicles have not yet replaced expendable vehicles we first need to examine a little history.
There will be more on this later.
Posted by elkaim at December 8, 2003 4:40 PM