re: Big Stick
David Portree from FPSPACE says it best:
If one modifies too much, one opens the door to new problems. One runs the risk of creating a "new vehicle" and putting the experience gained from the old vehicle in the waste bin.
The russians have modified their Soyuz since 1967, but only slightly over the years.
It's a good argument to use old and tested methods, to use the Shuttle technology.
Every time it gets to orbit, it's more than 100 tones in LEO and only a tiny fraction is the payload. Right from the start, many thought a Shuttle C (or the Ares) should be the successor of both the Shuttle and Saturn.
Raoul