This story came out late last week. I didn't think much about it until the Congressional hearings on Nasa's future, and the rumors of a speech by Bush on Dec. 17 came out. Was this test an isolated event, or could it possibly be linked to the recent political activity? Any future heavy lift vehicle will be based on the current shuttle stack. This more powerful SRB would be of great benefit to such a system.

Considering that construction of the ISS is winding down, I don't see why such a powerful SRB would be tested for use with the shuttle. It's days are numbered, and it won't be carrying any large payloads in the future.