My thoughts on using more up to date technology in our aerospace programs would be more along the lines of, "in addition to", such as ; In addition to using the shuttles for heavy lift missions to the space station and launching the heavier satellites, we can also use better rocket technology to push manned craft headed deeper into space.

While your gloves analogy is correct on one level, on another level there is little technology involved with a pair of gloves. Much of the design for the space shuttle was done in the 60s and early 70's when a scientific calculator nearly filled a room, and the phones at mission control were still dialed with a rotor.

Whichever vehicle(s) are selected for our next push into the final frontier, we need to be sure the rest of the planet is helping to pay for it. We cannot afford to keep borrowing money from others for these types of things and then simply give everyone else a free pass while sharing information.