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It’s a rehashing because it misses the point that we’re not going back to the moon just to say we can do it. We’re going back to stay, to mine, to live there. Just swapping to an updated version of the LEM gets us nowhere and we would learn very little.

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I agree with much of the criticism of the video, but I was left with one major question.

Why did we design a system where Orion does not have enough delta-v to achieve a circularized low lunar orbit?

Is it because, for whatever reason, we didn't get the Exploration Upper Stage done?

> Why did we design a system where Orion does not have enough delta-v to achieve a circularized low lunar orbit?

Because Orion was not designed to go to the moon. It was designed, ostensibly, to go visit asteroids, or if you're being more cynical, it was designed to distribute tax dollars to as many districts as possible.

> Is it because, for whatever reason, we didn't get the Exploration Upper Stage done?

Reaching NRHO actually requires the Exploration Upper Stage, which is still happening.

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