MSL "Heat shield woes" |
MSL "Heat shield woes" |
Feb 20 2008, 05:40 PM
Post
#16
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Oh dear. That's really very very bad news indeed.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 06:10 PM
Post
#17
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
Wouldn't it be ironic if MSL doesn't fly and ExoMars does?
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 06:13 PM
Post
#18
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
Ironic, indeed. I don't think Alan will like that request one bit.
-------------------- |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 06:24 PM
Post
#19
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I really really really want to see MSL fly, but it pains me to say, Alan's in a situation where a painful decision may have to be taken.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 06:25 PM
Post
#20
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
Alan went on to say "The ramifications are going to be severe in the science division, but we are supporting MSL." He also said that the cost of delay to a 2010 or 2011 launch would be an additional $200M.
--Emily -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Guest_Sunspot_* |
Feb 20 2008, 07:15 PM
Post
#21
|
Guests |
Alan went on to say "The ramifications are going to be severe in the science division, but we are supporting MSL. --Emily It's pointless sending it if it's to be stripped of most of it's scientific capability. It's hardly more than a long range MER even. now. |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:17 PM
Post
#22
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 704 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
Emily -
Are you at the MPEG meeting? -------------------- |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:35 PM
Post
#23
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
No. They're trying out allowing people to participate via WebEx -- you can see the slides on screen and call a toll-free number to hear the audio. I'm probably not going to tune in to much more of it today.
--Emily -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:36 PM
Post
#24
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 220 Joined: 13-October 05 Member No.: 528 |
I hate to be an armchair quarterback, so I'm not going to say even one tenth of the things that are running through my mind right now.
The cost overruns on MSL have already dug holes in other people's budgets, and it just keeps right on gobbling up money. I admire the incredible things JPL has accomplished in the last 40 years, including the spectaculare sucess of the Mars Exploration Program, but JPL has allowed an 800 million dollar project to baloon into a 1.8 billion dollar project. And all of this after the hard lessons of Mars 98 were supposed to have instilled a sense of reality into project planning. By the time this whole mess gets sorted out it will have done a lot of damage. I shudder to think what might end up happening to the Mars program. The Fiscal 2009 budget cuts may be just the begining. |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:53 PM
Post
#25
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
One of the things that makes me a bit worried is that the Mars program might wind up eating other programs. For instance, Alan pointed out that priority given to Phoenix' launch imposed a $40 million charge to the Discovery program because of the delay of the Dawn launch, and he also brought up the possibility of opening up the New Frontiers line to Mars missions. The next New Frontiers mission will have to be inner solar system, no further out than Jupiter, because there's not enough plutonium left (he said) for anything in the outer solar system -- it'll have to be solar powered. There's already seven spacecraft scheduled to go to the Moon. That leaves small bodies and Venus in the original New Frontiers manifest. If they open it up to Mars, I wonder if that means New Frontiers will necessarily wind up at Mars because the risk of such a mission would definitely be lower than for a Venus mission.
--Emily -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:56 PM
Post
#26
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
One of the things that makes me a bit worried is that the Mars program might wind up eating other programs. I'm probably overly pessimistic, but what are the chances of this affecting the next outer planet flagship? -------------------- |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 07:59 PM
Post
#27
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I have no data with which to back this up, but my instinct is that as long as Alan is in charge, an outer planets flagship will move forward.
--Emily -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 09:45 PM
Post
#28
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 609 Joined: 23-February 07 From: Occasionally in Columbia, MD Member No.: 1764 |
Ouch $115...but you can get a used one on Amazon for $105 . Why can't you rocket scientists write in popular paperback? Also if you throw in a murder mystery and a love scene between discussions of thruster vectors, we can convince our other-halves that it's a worthwhile purchase. I sympathize. But this remark betrays a sad ignorance of the publishing industry. The rocket scientist authors have exactly ZERO say in specifying the print run of the book or its sales price. My experience with several different publishers (CUP on Lifting Titan's Veil and Planetary Landers; Springer/Copernicus on Spinning Flight, Springer/Praxis on Space Systems Failures and Princeton on Titan Unveiled) varies slightly in detail, but all - take longer to publish than you want - promote the book less than you want - sell it at a higher price than you want Planetary Landers is frustrating in that CUP have clearly priced it as a text, putting it out of the budget of the space enthusiast. Titan Unveiled, happily, looks like PUP has priced it to shift... |
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 10:44 PM
Post
#29
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
One thing that I think Jim Bell was pushing for with a book of his was an e-book version for a not-crazy fee. Obviously, publishers are publishers, and the little exposure I've had - they are a law unto themselves doing everything that seems illogical to both author and reader.
|
|
|
Feb 20 2008, 10:54 PM
Post
#30
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 321 Joined: 6-April 06 From: Cape Canaveral Member No.: 734 |
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 19th March 2024 - 02:25 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |