It's the management, not the ship (Score 1)

What we need more than a new spacecraft is a new space agency, or at least new management in the current one. It took the "real" NASA just 6.5 years to go from Kennedy's go-ahead to the launch of Apollo 4. They had to create entirely new technologies, build the launch support infrastructure, create the communications networks, train the astronauts, everything had to be done for the first time from scratch.

The Orion is little more than an updated Apollo CSM mated to a shuttle SRB. Why should that take twice as long to build as the entire Apollo space program? It's practically off the shelf, they don't even have to build the LEM this time. All they have to do for the Block 1 spacecraft is get it into LEO.

If NASA can't get this job done in less than 5 years, outsource the job to someone who can.

The shuttle has been disastrous for real space exploration. It's only job is to fly to the international space trailer and keep that boondoggle eating up valuable resources. Some say the the shuttle has done some good by placing the Hubble in orbit. An unmanned booster could have done that and wouldn't have limited the mirror size to 2.4m. The shuttle costs at least $3bn per launch; the cost of the 4 servicing missions alone would have paid for four more complete telescopes. We could be doing space-based interferometry on three or four operational Block 2+ HST's right now instead of waiting for this one to die.

No, let the shuttle program die. Extending it will only allow it to continue to consume the majority of the space budget, delaying the introduction of new spacecraft, and probably killing another seven astronauts before this flying coffin is finally grounded.