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Lockheed Gets $485M From NASA To Create MAVEN Craft

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the 480-million-is-cheap? dept.

coondoggie writes to tell us that Lockheed Martin has landed a $485 million contract to create the spacecraft for NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) project. "MAVEN is the second mission in NASA's Mars Scout Program — a series of small, low-cost, principal investigator-led missions to the Red Planet, NASA said. The Phoenix Mars Lander was the first mission under the program. Lockheed Martin is the industry partner on the Phoenix mission. It designed and built the spacecraft, and also provided flight operations and currently surface operations for the lander. The mission has been extended through Sept. 30, 2008."

5 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. MAVEN not MAVAN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's MAVEN (In the article), not MAVAN (which is in the title)

    1. Re:MAVEN not MAVAN by clarkkent09 · · Score: 5, Funny

      No no, this one must be called MAVAN. MAVEN is a completely different project, albeit with a very similar name and identical goals and budget.

      After all, slashdot had an article about MAVEN only couple of days ago: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/16/0123253 I don't think it's possible that they would post another one about the exact same project. That would be a dupe!

      --
      Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  2. No need to spend that much by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Forget that MAVAN shit. If you're ready to part with gas, grass, or ass, you can ride in MYVAN for free.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. What no massive bid war? by alta · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, we're not going to have a highly publicized 6 month bid process, and then give it to the company with the better plane, and then take it away because the local company is crying about sour grapes? And then have them both re-bid, and then cancel that project because it looks again like the company that start with a B is starting ti whine AGAIN because they just can't compete in the competitive market because their damn plane just isn't good enough. So we scrap the whole damn idea till "later" and make our guys fly around in 30 year old gas filled bombs with outdated electronics hoping that one doesn't fuckin' blow up over a residential area?

    What's the fun in that? I didn't get a notice to bid! I'm going to congress!

    --
    Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
  4. Re:It's time to defund NASA by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yeah, that's what they said in the sixties about the moon

    So, what's the telephone area code for the moon, Mr. Anonymous?

    Oh, there is none? Why, because nobody has been there for 40 years. The United States does not have the competence to operate space research.

    --
    Bruce Perens.