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NASA is batting around ideas of using Orion, the LSAM upper stage, and Ares-I for things other than running crews to the ISS or to the Lunar surface, so I figure it would be fun to do the same. With a little change here and there, what else could these vehicles do? There is a cute picture floating around NewMars with an Orion capsule mated to the LSAM upper stage, with the LSAM-AS being used for its airlock and probably its life support/propulsion facilities, perhaps for an HEO servicing mission of some sort.
Anyway, the LSAM-AS weighs about 10MT or so roughly, and if it were launched on top of Ares-I this would give quite a bit of extra mass left over to play with. A few thoughts on what might be done with it:
~ISS: In the event COTS drops the (bowling) ball and the ISS partners can't come through, what about using the LSAM-AS as a cargo vehicle? Put it on top of Ares-I on its end, trade life support for solar arrays, and send it to the ISS on its own. With a payload faring and a little penalty for inclination, it could haul 10MT of materials perhaps. Maybe even bolt bigger items (gyros?) to its structure externally. Its main engine should provide plenty of Delta-V for orbital maneuvering.
~Asteroids: Apparently there are some low-energy transfer orbits to get from Earth to some NEAs, which might provide an exciting exploration opportunity. However, it seems likely that Orion only doesn't have the Delta-V to get there and back if I'm not mistaken and would be kind of cramped (especially with heavy suits). Perhaps in conjunction with LSAM-AS such a thing would be practical, maybe adding the very thin legs needed and using its main engine for a landing. But it would need more push?:
-More hypergolic fuel tanks could be added to the AS, maybe derived from Orion's SM, in that 10MT margin.
-A half-size Centaur booster could be added on the end of the AS to give both vehicles the push out of orbit.
~HEO/LaGrange: if we did have an AS with a large fuel supply or a baby Centaur, this could give the Orion/AS combo enough push to reach Geostationary orbit where most satellites are. Finally having a repair ship, what Shuttle was always sold as! The AS might even carry the grappling arm and parts instead of Orion.
-Could either of these propulsion options reach a LaGrange point (for JWST etc)?
~Lunar crew transport: say in the future some day when we have a reliable, reuseable Lunar lander based on the Moon it would make sense to send crews or light cargoes on vehicles other than the behemoth Ares-V. Could a full size 20MT class Centaur booster, modified with the same docking hardware as LSAM-AS, be powerful enough to go from LEO to LLO?
-If not with the baseline hypergolic Orion, could it do so with the hypothetical upgraded Methane-powered Orion?
~Probes: of course, with the Ares-I compatible Centaur booster as a third stage, I bet this could be the most powerful probe-pusher available short of a heavy lift rocket.
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This is the picture of Orion docked with an LSAM-AS like module
Servicing missions to Hubble (SM-5?), GEO and JWST are real possibilities. JWST and other observatories could be moved to EML1 (L1 in the Earth-Moon system) for servicing by Orion then moved back to their original location.
Missions to NEOs would be true exploration. Some may have H2O or CO2 ice, so they would make ideal test sites for ISRU production of LO2/LH2/CH4. This would extend Orion's range if it or the docked module had a suitable engine.
Using an LSAM-AS as an ISS cargo vehicle? NASA still has the option to use Orion for cargo even though the current contract now excludes it. Orion would be far more efficient and could return cargo to Earth.
Ares I / Centuar as a heavy launcher - if the cost is as low as Griffin says it will be then NASA will use it instead of Atlas V/Delta IV Heavy - that may explain why so many of their supporters are trying to trash Ares I.
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