Orion is what the technically naive call innovative. An upgraded Apollo. The entire Orion, Ares, Constellation system costs something like ten times more per seat compared to existing and upcoming European, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese systems.
Editors of Machine Design (an engineering publication) define what drives obsolete technology.
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NASA just finished building a $350million, 300 foot tall rocket-testing tower, A-3. It was built to test engines and hardware for the Constellation program to send astronauts to the Moon and perhaps Mars. The program was canceled in 2010, the same year a Mississippi senator sponsored an earmark forcing NASA to build the A-3 tower even if it was not needed. The senator surely rationalizes that he was only bringing home the bacon since the tower now stands in his home state at Stennis Space Center. Taxpayers are now on the hook for $840,000 per year to maintain and secure the tower, a "bargain at only $2,300/day
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Constellation was needed to launch Orion - according to rationalization by George Jr's administration to justify rebuilding ane Apollo and Saturn V. Promoted by same people who also invented Saddam's WMDs.
Instead, a workhorse of the American space program (Delta was first launched before Space Shuttles existed) launched Orion. If something larger is need, another and existing workhorse is Atlas.
These workhorses were upgraded as innovation and science required larger systems. Based upon need; not upon extremist politics.
Meanwhile, the Air Force flies a space shuttle without humans. This innovative machine (X-37B), a next generation space craft, has set new world records for reusable spacecraft. Patrolling space for almost two years.
Raumpatrouille, I was told, means Space Patrol. Which Orion makes more sense? Well, innovative and existing technology (without humans) actually does a Space Patrol for two years. Raumapatrouille Orion is fiction. Raumapatrouille X-37B is innovation, reality, and exists. Why do we need Orion? To create jobs duplicating what is now obsolete technology.