4 thoughts on “The Battle Against The Empire”

1. I agree that Ares I is more of a paper rocket (or as we say in the software industry, vapourware). But Ares I is not in the same category as the shown Atlas V and Falcon 9 rockets. You would need Atlas V Heavy or Falcon 9 Heavy to compete in payload. Delta IV however is close enough to make it.

   The question is do we need a vehicle with the payload of Ares I in the first place? Why is the Orion capsule so bloated?

2. Godzilla – there is another way to view the discussion, particularly given Mike Griffin’s recent email, where he implies the importance of having a US owned government crew launch vehicle. And I think/suspect that might be what the author is getting at – the issue isn’t payload, but crew launch to orbit.

3. They could use some proof-reading: “Falcon 9 first stage hold done test” instead of “hold-down test.”

4. All Elon or ULA has to say is: “My pictures are photographs.”

Comments are closed.