Led a program that spent a lot of money but delivered nothing

Mike Griffin has been nominated by the Trump administration to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

At the first meeting of the National Space Council Oct. 5, Griffin warned that U.S. adversaries have "figured out that space is critical to the United States' method of fighting and winning wars, and they are taking, with all deliberate speed, steps to nullify that advantage.

The Ares I prototype, Ares I-X, successfully completed a test launch on October 28, 2009. Launch Pad 39B was damaged more than with a Space Shuttle launch. During descent, one of the three parachutes of the Ares I-X's first stage failed to open, and another opened only partially, causing the booster to splash down harder and suffer structural damage. The launch accomplished all primary test objectives.