The space shuttle was about half as efficient as the Saturn it replaced. And that&#x27;s only if you count low earth orbit. If you count beyond that, it is infinitely more efficient since the space shuttle couldn&#x27;t go further.<p>The Saturn was given to us by basically empowering a dictator to run the program and get things done, a lot like a CEO. The Space Shuttle was given to us by typical bureaucracy, and lies. Lots and lots of lies told with a straight face to the public.<p>I don&#x27;t know that private companies can ever compete with NASA on the scale of spending, but given NASA&#x27;s current relatively tiny budget, it doesn&#x27;t seem out of the question.<p>And I like to daydream about a future where the space shuttle never happened and the Saturn XX single stage super rocket takes vacationers to the moon and then lands itself on its landing pad ready for a quick refuel and return trip.