The art work coming out of NASA and other sources seems to imply an
Apollo approach, namely, land your capsule on the moon, explore, launch
most of your capsule back, and then discard it. At least the Apollo
program had the sense to leave the Rovers and Flags behind! The Apollo
ascent stage weighed 4.54 tons.

Approximately, to launch 1 ton from the moon requires 1 ton of fuel,
making 2 tons to be landed. To land 2 tons on the moon needs about 15
tons in Low Earth Orbit. So a 15:1 ratio from Low Earth Orbit to Lunar
surface to Lunar Orbit.

So why not seek to minimise the mass launched from the lunar surface to
the orbiting CEV?

This could be done by landing on the lunar surface a standard 10 ton
pallet* consisting of a 7 ton habitation module, an asecender stage and
fuel for the ascender.

Given the astroanuts will need to suit up to leave the hab module, and
the journey from surface to CEV needs to be only and hour or so, an
unpressurised, unfueled ascender could weigh in at 1.5 tons, even with
a crew of 4.

The current approach can only land a 5 ton hab module as part of a 10
ton landing. Alos, with the proposed approach the hab module can be
reused for later missions, should these come to the same location. (As
they will when a proper base needs to be established)

Is this approach feasible or likely?

Alex
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*I know US and English language differs quite a lot around trucking and
freight distribution, but I assume "pallet" is also a US word?