Because it is still evolving. Rocket evolution is never-ending process.
Funny, I always thought it was intelligent design.
Right. It (the Atlas) has “evolved” since I built a model of it back in 1966....
By the way, it’s based on technology older than Mercury, the B-52, and V-2 (er, Army Jupiter) missile.
You’d think NASA could have developed something newer since a 1958-1960 ICBM first flew. Now, I’ll contrast that with what our engineers and NASA’s EREAL engineers developed in the 1960’s when they were really “rocket scientists” .... and all that implied.
The Atlas really shows more that the US government hasn’t thought of anything new/bought anything new in the last 50 years.