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Mars Rovers Alive Until 2005?
maggeth writes "The BBC is reporting that negotiations are under way to extending funding for the Mars rovers beyond this September. Originally designed to work for 90 Martian days, they now predict they may last well beyond the 250 Martian days they had announced previously." hoferbr writes "A new analysis by Phil Berardelli at the United Press International quotes Steve Squyres, chief scientist for the Mars rover mission, in which he says that the Mars rovers '... could go into 2005'. Spirit and Opportunity will complete six months on the Martian surface on July."
Now we get to hear more meaninless info about red rocks for even longer!!
I'm all for using these folks as our first conscripted astronauts in such a project.
Bush Lies On the Record.
If funding is tight in the US budget why not let the Europeans take the reigns/pursestrings for a while?
They want to explore Mars but can't seem to get their own experiments to land successfully. By leasing time on the US mission, they'll get to do the science and not have to worry about the harder details.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
What! Are you telling me the present Rovers have lasted that long already? And the Hubble also? Well, then, looks they should be abandoned or we won't have enough money to start the new version with real rubber wheels. Keeping a staff of NASA data-takers costs a lot of money. That comes right out of our budget plans for new projects.
Budget deficit you ask? Well, I'll tell you this. The only way we are going to solve that budget problem is to get it to the attention of the American voters, and what better way than to have the media report on it's enormous size every day. Now if we just give one more tax rebate of $500 to $2000, everyone will be happy and the next administration will have the problem of solving the budget deficit. Sooner or later the Democrats will be in office and will get the budget back to a place where we can manage it again.