I thought Soyuz had a capacity similar to the shuttle for some reason and the Proton 3 times that, but I may have been putting the first two digits from cost with tons for capacity. Just thinking about the module sizes suggests your capacity numbers make more sense. I thought the launchers you mentioned were in the 10 ton to LEO range instead of 20 to 30.

You left out the Lift in HLLV. Most people I talk to consider it in the class of the Saturn 5. Your comparison of the S5 "Payload: 47,000 kg. to a: Translunar trajectory" to a D5 LEO capability is grossly misleading. The S5 payload to LEO was 140 tons vs 28 for the D4. An S1B is not anywhere close to an S5 either. Visit one of the space centers. At about 20% of the Saturn 5 the Delta 4 is not a HLLV launcher and by your statements nothing else is either. While the D4 is close to the shuttle capacity, the shuttle boosters can launch 75 to 85 tons to LEO when you take into account the mass of the shuttle. Close enough to count as a heavy lift booster system in my book. Modifications have been suggested which can make better use of that capacity without requiring massive infrastructure investments at the cape for a completely new HLLV or S5 rebuild.

As for you low cost lunar option, it's pretty obvious why that plan was abandoned. The life support module is a space suit! I keep making these comments because I assume you have bothered to look for something more realistic. What exactly do you expect to be accomplished with a space suit as living quarters? The launch vehicles needed for Mars can put a similar size habitat module on the Moon capable of supporting an extended stay on the Moon. Saying we should focus on the Moon because we can land a man there for a few hours with current launch vehicles instead of pursuing real research capabilities is definitely returning to a flags and footprints agenda.

Regards,
Mark