Meet the New Moon Rocket

Pretty much the same as the old moon rocket- except a "lighter more agile" version:



What's wrong with this picture? Admittedly it's an artist's schematic, but hey, NASA posted it. There are no specs available. Possibly that's classified information. Assuming after a few hundred billion invested any exist. But that's classified, too.



Compare it to this:



The Ares rocket is smaller than the Saturn. But NASA sez:

The new crew spacecraft will have more volume than the Apollo capsules, reducing development time, boosting stability, and permitting safe travel for up to six crewmembers.

Well isn't that cozy. How will they get there and back again on a smaller launch platform? By clapping louder, so Tinkerbell can fill up their fuel modules in deep space?

Now, the "deep space" version is a little bigger:



There are some interesting claims made about it:

Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. A liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen J-2X engine derived from the J-2 engine used on Apollo's second stage will power the crew exploration vehicle's second stage. The Ares I can lift more than 55,000 pounds to low Earth orbit.

Ares V, a heavy lift launch vehicle, will use five RS-68 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines mounted below a larger version of the space shuttle's external tank, and two five-segment solid propellant rocket boosters for the first stage. The upper stage will use the same J-2X engine as the Ares I. The Ares V can lift more than 286,000 pounds to low Earth orbit and stands approximately 360 feet tall. This versatile system will be used to carry cargo and the components into orbit needed to go to the moon and later to Mars...



...The Ares I first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program's reusable solid rocket motor, which burns a specially formulated and shaped solid propellant.

...The Ares I second, or upper, stage is propelled by a J-2X main engine fueled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

So this slender module is designed to replace the shuttle. This is the actual Moon rocket (to be, beotches):



Like the Ares 1, this uses liquid oxygen/ hydrogen propellents. These guys really are going back to the future, aren't they? The better to inflate their budgets with, my dear.