Old Reliable...

While the space shuttle has had moments of victory and heartbreak, the simpler Russian Soyuz spacecraft has become a multi-decade mainstay on the heavy rotation 'surface-to-space' mission.

It is not, however, reusable.

The visionaries assumed more overall independence of flight than the shuttle or the Soyuz offer, such as orbital maneuverability, attitude control and station keeping.

Indpendence of flight and control may be designed into new craft as more efficient systems of producing delta-V find their way into manufacture. Perhaps a 21st Century space taxi will combine the look of Soyuz with better maneuverability.