EELVs are Not "Dead" As A Crew Launch Option

Bolden talks frankly: Ares I might be dead but so are EELVs, Hyperbola
“What was surprising was the degree to which Bolden had clearly already decided that Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles were not going to be a part of that future. Despite this journalist’s prodding about the interest showninEELVs during the Augustine review Bolden was very clear, they were not man rated and multiple launch scenarios with LEO rendezvous and docking was just a no-no; so this was one formertwo-star US Marine Corp general this blogger decided it was not worth arguing with”
Keith’s note: From what I hear from in and around the 9th floor, Charlie Bolden’s actual opinion (and that of those around him) is somewhat different than is portrayed in Hyperbola. While there is not much interest at NASA in the evolution of EELVs towards providing a heavy launch vehicle capability, there is certainly continued interest in the use of EELVs as part of a commerical crew launch capability. As such EELVs most certainly have not been ruled out or seen as being “dead” as an option. Stay tuned. The Augustine report lands at the White House next week and then a lot of things will start to break loose.