Repainted Ares 1 For Sale as "Liberty"
Canceled NASA rocket resurfaces in private bid for tax dollars, Orlando Sentinel
“It’s like the Dukes of Hazzard. They paint up an old car to make it look faster, but it’s the same rocket,” said Keith Cowing, editor of the watchdog site NASA Watch. “I’m glad they are trying to use this [Ares I] technology, but shouldn’t taxpayers be getting a percentage of the profit? … “It’s a thinly-veiled attempt to profit at the expense of the taxpayers,” said Rick Tumlinson, a co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation and longtime advocate of commercial space travel. “What ATK is trying to do is put the taxpayers’ skin in the game and act as if it’s their own.” … When asked about this arrangement, ATK officials did not directly address questions about the tax dollars the company has received to build Ares I.”
– ATK (Apparently) Does Not Need NASA Money For Liberty [Update], earlier post
– ATK Was Against Commercial Crew – Before It Was For it., earlier post
– ATK Wants To Sell NASA a Recycled Ares 1, earlier post
– Nickname for Liberty, earlier post
Keith’s note: What baffles me is how ATK can claim that this rocket will be ready 2 years earlier than Ares 1 would have been – for less money. Why didn’t they offer that option to NASA before Ares 1 was cancelled?