tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270899075443508100.post6152321382556784934..comments2024-01-03T20:28:17.727-08:00Comments on Future Planetary Exploration: Budget + 1 DayVan Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14227978868817989527noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270899075443508100.post-1213633833035633502012-02-16T08:24:17.965-08:002012-02-16T08:24:17.965-08:00The Mars precision landing technology developed fo...The Mars precision landing technology developed for MSL is unique and a valuable asset. It is essential to putting rovers into the small safe zones at nearly all the really interesting landing areas. As I recall, it was a struggle to find two safe, interesting sites for the MER rovers, which lacked precision landing.<br /><br />I suspect that each copy of the MSL EDL (at least scaled to MSL/ExoMars class landers) is pricey, probably on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. Many mission budgets can't afford that.<br /><br />I do hope that the future Mars missions make use of this technology. Otherwise the engineering teams likely will be dispersed.Van Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14227978868817989527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270899075443508100.post-82178653238661916722012-02-16T04:51:32.182-08:002012-02-16T04:51:32.182-08:00We might be out of the 2016 mission, but ExoMars c...We might be out of the 2016 mission, but ExoMars cannot happen without the US simply from the EDL perspective. With the Europe budget woes, to develop this would cost way too much and certainly can't happen in the time frame needed. It is 2018 or bust for ExoMars! I've said in the past, what NASA needs to do is to "make money" and should sell the Sky Crane (as a partner)for a price if we cannot do it. We spend tons of $$$ for these one shot deals and when MSL lands, we can market a new Mars EDL process to add to our airbag landing system. Today there are only a small handful of agencies with space exploration experience....with one more quickly on the rise... set up an intl EDL office and sell these services to ESA, Russia, Japan.....and oh, yes China. What a novel idea.... making back our investment instead of leaving it on the shelf. Do we actually see using the airbag landing system again??? If so, I have not seen a mission proposal with one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270899075443508100.post-82936982392918186692012-02-15T10:13:38.736-08:002012-02-15T10:13:38.736-08:00I doubt that the plan is no more Discovery mission...I doubt that the plan is no more Discovery missions, but the rate might drop. I am a big fan of Discovery missions. In fact, I think the PI budget should grow slightly, from $425-500M to allow missions with long flight times to better compete.<br /><br />Some detail on flight rates:<br />For the first 15 years, a new mission launched approximately every 1-2 years on average (2 in 1996, '98, '99, '01, '02, '04, '07, '09, '11). Then there will be a five year gap between GRAIL (2011) and Discovery 12 in 2016. The projected level of funding projected for FY17 would support a launch more or less every six years if carried forward.Van Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14227978868817989527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270899075443508100.post-56392627053065374832012-02-15T06:04:35.114-08:002012-02-15T06:04:35.114-08:00It's been mentioned from time to time that we ...It's been mentioned from time to time that we are in a Golden Age of planetary exploration. If true, the basis for that period is the Discovery Program. No NASA program has delivered so many missions at a relatively reasonable cost than Discovery. We have gone to more places than thought possible and even had two sample return missions out of it--all for missions that cost 1/5th of MSL and 1/16th of Webb. Imagine if you could choose 16 places to go in the solar system. People laugh when "Faster, Better, Cheaper" is mentioned, but Discovery has its roots there and it is the reason that program is successful. It will be quite a shame if Discovery is no more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com