[X] My Assistant

[Guest_paulanderson_*]

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMA96ULWFE_index_0.html

Relating to Mars Express:

"At the same time, ESA’s Mars Express mission is continuing its investigations of Mars, painting a new picture of the 'red planet'. This includes the first ever probing below the surface of Mars, new geological clues with implications for the climate, newly-discovered surface and atmospheric features and, above all, traces of the presence of water on this world."

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

This gives more reason to think that, if MRO fails, they'll delay MSL till 2011 and fly a replacement MRO instead in 2009. However, Nick Appleby told me at AGU that NASA still very much wants to fly MSL on schedule -- it's their current "sacred cow" (to quote the COMPLEX meeting) -- and he also said that if a repeat MRO should be necessary, replacements of some instruments such as CRISM couldn't be built by 2009.

[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

This gives more reason to think that, if MRO fails, they'll delay MSL till 2011 and fly a replacement MRO instead in 2009.

Let's hope that doesn't happen, if for no other reason than to spare Dan McCleese et al. from having to build a fourth instrument for his atmospheric investigation. Two PMIRR instruments lost on Mars Observer and Mars Climate Orbiter, with the replacement, an upgraded version called Mars Climate Sounder, now en route aboard MRO.