Sidecar

It's a very cool animation, and the idea is certainly sensible: use existing shuttle external tank, four-segment boosters, and space shuttle main engines, without the expense of a reusable orbiter. But with Orion riding beside and below the external tank, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of going back to an Apollo-style rocket with Orion on the tippy top, above any chunks of foam that could break away and damage a crew capsule? You decide. And feel free to comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOnlAUpYWoc