I keep reading that there are better and cheaper ways to earth orbit than the billion-dollar efforts of NASA and its foreign competitors. What are they, where can I find out about them, and if they're viable why aren't they being developed?

just saw a program on the science channel about that. One method used a lasar to superheat the air under a cone shaped vehicle which resulted in upward motion. Sorry I wasn't paying that close attention to all of it but that show will probably be run again a few times.

i have also seen the cone/laser system on tv,
other options are a cable running from the earth to an orbiting object that orbits at the same rate as the earth,

other options can be found by clicking on these two links, one is for the space shuttle, but discusses future space shuttles towards the end of the article, or look on the links to the right.

the other discusses space planes
and has links to solar elevators (like the tether) and solar sails.

space shuttle and future shuttles

space plane and others

-Chris

I'm not sure if this is an actual viable idea, but someone told me about the plan to build a very large rail gun (a magnetic gun that can shoot things very fast, and very far) inside a mountain. This rail gun would be very very large and it would be able to launch anything metallic into space at the cost of only the electricity to fire it. (and the cost of building the rail gun, of course)