NASA Cancels Missions After All

jd writes "Barely a day after NASA chief Dr. Griffen swore blind that projects might be frozen but not cancelled due to the new priorities and budget constraints, news comes of a new asteroid mission that has been cancelled due to the new priorities and budget constraints - something Dr. Griffin did not mention in his earlier comments. The visit to two asteroids, short about $90 million, was completely abandoned according to NASA, with no possibility of revival. In consequence, smaller missions are reportedly feeling at much greater risk."

Comments

Space Exploration

[Wayne_Knight]

Merely sending people up in to space isn't exploration. We've sent probes to many of the planets (Mars in paticular), and there are plans to a new space observatory. Considering the costs associated with space, I think the U.S. is doing just fine. Hell, I like to wonder, where is everyone else?

Oh, and for you anti-NASA freaks, I'd like to provide you with a link to a history of NASA's budget. It calculates to about $3 per taxpayer per year. Compare that to the military budget, which is about 500 times higher.

Re:Relax, We're still going to the moon, right?

[MindStalker]

Actually no, a good bit of the shuttle design went to the airforce requirement that it be able to pluck soviet satallies out of orbit then do a quick landing onto a runway strip. This requirement was never actually used (atleat according to all records public today) and ended up costing us unimagined amounts of money in the long run. Most accounts state that the shuttle would have had a completly different design otherwise.

Colbert Report

[wass]

You ever watch the Colbert Report? It's a hysterical political 'commentary' show following the Daily Show on Comedy Central, featuring Stephen Colbert basically pretending to be a Bill O'Reilly-esque self-centered "America'loving, liberal hating" host, while being obviously sarcastic, snarky, and pretty funny.

Anyway, he had Peggy Noonan on his show a few weeks ago, who was a speechwriter for Bush and Reagan, amonst other republicans. She was mentioning how during Bush's 2004 campaign she took a leave from her job at Wall St. Journal to work for Bush's re-election. Colbert immediately responds with "Which of Bush's many achievements made that worthwhile?" And she couldn't say anything but just smirk. She didn't even attempt any talking point of one thing Bush did, it was pretty awesome seeing her pretty uncomfortable she was in even trying to list something positive Bush achieved.

JPL

[jacks smirking reven]

Anyone else agree that if any section of NASA should be getting more money it's the JPL. Much of the increased interest in space and the last few really excellent displays of space technology (Rovers, Cassini, Deep Space 1) while the shuttle division languished in time. JIMO, one of the most fascnating and ambitious missions has had its budget sliced as well. I say we go with the most science for the buck and unmanned is the best way to get that outside of our own orbit at this point.

Re:JPL

[Anonymous Coward]

I worked at JPL this summer and you're absolutly right.

JPL is special in that it is run by the California Institute of Technology for NASA. JPL employees are employees of Cal-Tech, not the federal government.

JPL is much more focused and efficient then any other NASA center, and it shows. It's also the only place in the US where a space mission can go from concept, to detailed design, to fabrication, launch from KSC, and then operations are at JPL as well. End-to-end inside the JPL fenceline.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Missions

[Bombula]

Like everyone else here, I understand the dichotomy between missions for scientific benefit and missions for inspiring mankind. Occassionally there is some crossover, but it is less common than we'd like. So when scientific missions like this asteroid one get cancelled in favor of inspiring missions like putting men on the Moon and Mars, it is easy to cry 'political agenda'. I'm not even sure htat's fair, but there it is.

But it's the missions that DO have good crossover that seem to me like they should be prioritized. And the best example I can think of are the missions to put up huge space telescopes to find a second Earth. Finding another Earth would be hugley inspiring, and as far as I understand it these scopes would be fantastic scientific instruments as well.

Am I the only one who was particularly sad to see these missions delayed?

Re:Relax, We're still going to the moon, right?

[Stoutlimb]

They probably never used that feature when they realized the Soviets like to booby trap their satellites with explosives.