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MAVEN Mission To Mars Will Proceed, Despite Shutdown
necro81 writes "Due to the ongoing shutdown of the U.S. Government, NASA is largely grounded. This is bad for all kinds of reasons, but one particularly bad outcome would have been missing the launch window for the MAVEN spacecraft, due to launch 18 November. The next launch window would not have been until 2016. MAVEN, thankfully, has been given the go-ahead, in large part because this orbiter will serve as a vital communications link for the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers currently on the surface. Currently, these rovers are served by two aging orbiters: Mars Odyssey (launched 2001) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched 2005). Maintaining communications with the rovers is considered essential, hence the preparations and launch will proceed. (NASA's official mission website is currently offline.)"
Why are they doing all the drama? The nation has already had 17 "shutdowns," and it is just an excuse to furlough ( that is let federal employees have days off ) with pay so it is just a show to try to shame or scare the public into doing a unpleasant thing ( continue to bring on board an unpopular law, parts of which apparently the administration can arbitrarily postpone for a year, while the general population has to conform and do as it says, except for those the administration gives exemptions to including the three branches of the federal government ). The corruption is bleeding through the surface. The president is a product of the corrupt Chicago Democrat machine after all.