Yeah - and I'm kinda starting to piece together why things like the "infamous" SLS project maintains wide support - I don't think they'd be hanging on very long supporting Delta and, in turn, Delta would become prohibitively expensive as Aerojet's overhead outstripped their revenue.
And then both die. And then Play it Again Sports outlets sell trampolines at firesale rates and Dutch tulip prices.
We ain't building, buying, and selling Chevy Cobalts here.
I'm okay with a degree of government and private largesse in order to keep a fucked up, haphazard business model and really bright people barbecuing in their backyards instead of saying "Well, they can't compete - there's no business for them to appeal to! Too bad - design bridges or something, wastrels!"
At ~12 launches a year, guesstimating an average, either you extend a helping hand or watch entire industries die. If Aerojet goes down, so does Delta; if Delta goes down, so does ULA, if ULA goes down, so does Atlas, and if Atlas goes down - and I think there's a good bit of legislation about this - you can't even use Ariane for launches since ITAR and protecting domestic business.
Ugh. Shit. I ranted. I'll leave it, since it was part of my thought processes and may well be worth reading. I didn't use an emoji once, too!
Far as I've heard - and I got my GED under great, significant, near-suicidal duress from the math portion and hardwired learning disabilities, so bear with me - it's not possible to "just" retrofit Atlas with methane tankage.
Needs bigger tankage for a given volume, which changes the dynamics of the whole damn thing as much as turning a Lada into a rally car with a Chevy 350 is an exercise in artistry and not something you'd sell...just build a new car.
Not familiar with a SMART system - I tried googling it; consider me stumped.
If the board doesn't fund Vulcan, well - I think that's game over for ULA, the launch vehicles, and arguably a tragic loss for established manufacturing and engineering and the like.
Very few mofo's have the capital to just start up a space business; it'll be an immeasurable loss for ULA or Aerojet or (now) Orbital-ATK to go belly up.
So - explain this SMART system, and tell me that someday, there'll be enough of a boom that I could get an entry level job sweeping floors? :)