OM wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:26:27 -0500, "Jeff Findley"
wrote:

In the end, I think it was a false economy to choose the "cheaper" RS-68 for Ares V

...I actually chalk it up not so much as an effort to reduce costs,
but to throw the Former Soviet Empire a bone in the form of a
propaganda move that said "Hey, here's proof we're no longer going to
nuke one another! We're using their engines and paying them for the
damn things!"

You're confusing the RS-68 (a US engine, used in the Ares V) with the
RD-180 (a Russian engine, used in the Atlas V).