Bigger, Stronger: To the Moon, Ares!

NASA has recently announced that its Ares V heavy lift vehicle will be 20 feet taller than originally planned, putting it about that much taller than the Saturn V. The Ares will also sport an additional main engine, for a total of six; its main core fuselage will be extended; and its solid rocket boosters will be lengthened by half a segment.

The Ares V has improved its lift capability by approximately 10 percent. Its six first-stage engines and two solid rocket boosters will develop a thrust of almost 8.9 million pounds.

In this new configuration, the Ares V will be capable of lifting nearly 188 metric tonnes into Low Earth Orbit and, in coordination with the Ares I, nearly 71 metric tonnes to the Moon. This far exceeds the abilities of even the venerable Saturn V, currently by far the holder of the world's record for the most powerful rocket ever to achieve operational status.

Plans call for astronauts to return to the Moon by 2020. Ralph Kramden, presumably, need not apply.

Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.