> <i><font color="yellow">Flight International has an article on a proposed Ares IV similar in idea to Ares V but with reduced capacity, anyone have any information?</font>/i><br /><br />I haven't read the article, but I was recently thinking of something that might be similar. I'd be curious if this is feasible and, if so, desirable:<br /><br />Develop a mini Earth Departure Stage (EDS) that only had the power to launch the Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon -- no lander and supporting life support system and propellant -- and launch it into LEO on a <b><i>existing</i></b> (or then existing) launch vehicle (e.g., a Delta, Atlas, or even Ares I) instead of the Atlas V. In effect, it would be an Apollo-8 class mission.<br /><br />It would accomplish several goals. (1) It would break humans out of LEO for the first time since Apollo and provide an emotional boost. (2) It would help develop and test the Orion-EDS docking procedures, equipment, and software. (3) It would help test the Orion capsule re-entry system with beyond LEO velocities. (4) It would be done well before the Ares V is ready.<br /><br />Orion will be ready for use in the 2012-2014 timeframe. Ares V won't be ready until 2017-2020. A mini-EDS launched on an existing medium lift vehicle could provide beyond LEO capabilities during this gap.<br /><br />Comments?</i>