Odyssey and MER Budgets Cut |
Odyssey and MER Budgets Cut |
Mar 24 2008, 09:11 PM
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#1
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 3 Joined: 12-March 08 Member No.: 4062 |
Just found out today at a MER all-hands meeting that both MER and Odyssey will each be suffering an immediate $4 million budget cut to help defray the cost of MSL. Read more here: http://martianchronicles.wordpress.com/200...rs-budget-cuts/
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Mar 26 2008, 06:04 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 220 Joined: 13-October 05 Member No.: 528 |
I agree that the debates have barely begun.
This is starting to remind me of the 200-2003 period when the Pluto mission was canceled, and Europa orbiter kept. Then people lobbied for the Pluto mission to be restored, and Europa was cut (many speculated this was done as a message to the community to stop the lobbying). Then Pluto was restored by lobbying from the science community and ultimately Congress, over the initial objections of the Administration. I bring this up not to ignite debates about those particular events, but to demonstrate what happens when funds are limited, and not all worthy missions can fly. At the very least things get muddy, and often times get ugly. An outer planets flagship and to a lesser extent Mars Sample Return have been bandied about for this entire decade. Then the Fiscal 2009 budget proposal came out, with the Flagship finally started, new lunar missions show up almost out of the blue, MSR research started, and the dramatic cuts to the MEP. I suspected the MEP cuts were going to bring things to a boil. And it looks to me like that is happening (wheather or not Alan's resignation was connected). |
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