GAO: The DSN is actually falling apart Options

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-06-445

[djellison]

There is already international involvement to some extent, with ESA building smaller facilities of it's own in various places.

There is no way in hell the UN should ever have control over the DSN. The US built it, the US use it, the US pay for it.

Doug

[Guest_Richard Trigaux_*]

There is already international involvement to some extent, with ESA building smaller facilities of it's own in various places.

There is no way in hell the UN should ever have control over the DSN. The US built it, the US use it, the US pay for it.

Doug

In hell, I don't know, I never visited this place, and I don't intend to go, if even it exists.

But I know what is possible or not on Earth. There are technical limitations, and often far before we meet them, there are political/psychological limitations.

So what is the most likely to happen is that Europe, or others, will sooner or later build their own DSN stations, like with Galileo and GPS. Of course, of the point of view of bandwith and availability, these several DSNs will be the exact equivalent of having one internationaly operated DSN, sharing its resources among countries. Child-minded politicians will be proud of THEIR network, and scientist will have means to work seriously. We shall just have to pay several times the development costs.

Chmee, autobahns in Germany can remain german, unless you find a mean to transport them in other places.

[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

So what is the most likely to happen is that Europe, or others, will sooner or later build their own DSN stations, like with Galileo and GPS.

I wouldn't be surprised if that indeed comes to pass, Richard. I also wouldn't be surprised if at some point after that happened that "Europe, or others" would, say, issue ESA-like press releases claiming they built the first deep space network.