Isn't the Dragon going up next month? BTW I do believe that the Ares I was saved as well. Has to be, how else you gonna get it up there? Delta/Atlas?
Yes, Delta/Atlas is being discussed as far as I know.
But Ares I has not been saved although they would like to and certainly still have hope. Contracts have been pulled already. The operating costs for Ares I would be 50% higher than for the Space Shuttle whilst carrying 50% less payload, and there is also another 50 billion USD required, money that NASA does not have and certainly does not get, to make Ares I fly manned with Orion on top. Even then, if NASA would get the money, Ares I would not lift off before 2017, and I guess due to what happened during the last month the schedule likely has slipped to the end of the decade anyway. But more important, there would be no money to develope a heavy lift launcher, as there was never money for Ares V or Ares IV. If Ares I would indeed be back on the table, NASA would keep access to low earth orbit which would be great, but they would loose the ability to fly to anywhere beyond until the late 2020s due to the high costs only for Ares I.
We can be sure Congress won't pay, less than ever even more for an additional heavy lift launcher beside Ares I. NASA remains in a deadlock, and by operating Ares I it would create an even bigger one. In any case, we can expect that NASA won't be back even in low earth orbit on its own until the end of this decade. And I will be nearly 40 years old by that time
When I was born the Apollo program already was history. When NASA might be back on the Moon or anywhere else beyond low earth orbit, I will be a pensioner. It's just so sad...
Don't understand me wrong. I like Ares I. It's a great rocket design. If it would just not be so expensive, it would be a really great thing I would love to see and to fly within AMS2017 - Ares Mission Simulator 2017
