Slashdot Mirror
NASA Announces New Mars Probe, While SpaceX Is Urged To Focus on Launches
NASA will land a new probe on Mars on November 26, 2018, "paving the way toward an ambitious journey to send humans to the Red Planet," according to one NASA official. The $828 million project will investigate how the planet was formed, NASA announced Friday, calling it "an unparalleled opportunity to learn more about the internal structure of the Red Planet."
Meanwhile, long-time Slashdot reader taiwanjohn shares an editorial published by Ars Technica the same day, titled "We love you SpaceX, and hope you reach Mars. But we need you to focus." Noting that SpaceX receives the majority of its funding from NASA, the site's senior space editor writes that the company's business model requires that they ultimately deliver a reusable launch system. "I understand SpaceX has a master plan -- the company wants to colonize Mars... But at some point you have to focus on the here and now, and that is the Falcon 9 rocket... if there is no Falcon 9, there is no business."
In a related story, Saturday NASA's history office shared a photograph from the Viking 2's landing on the surface of Mars -- which happened exactly 40 years ago.
Meanwhile, long-time Slashdot reader taiwanjohn shares an editorial published by Ars Technica the same day, titled "We love you SpaceX, and hope you reach Mars. But we need you to focus." Noting that SpaceX receives the majority of its funding from NASA, the site's senior space editor writes that the company's business model requires that they ultimately deliver a reusable launch system. "I understand SpaceX has a master plan -- the company wants to colonize Mars... But at some point you have to focus on the here and now, and that is the Falcon 9 rocket... if there is no Falcon 9, there is no business."
In a related story, Saturday NASA's history office shared a photograph from the Viking 2's landing on the surface of Mars -- which happened exactly 40 years ago.
More info here: YouTube user Scott Manley has a 9-min video with frame-by-frame analysis. Well worth the time.
One thing I learned was that, although the satellite was insured, technically the insurance doesn't "kick in" until the rocket is actually launched, so in this case, they probably won't pay out. (This would explain the lawsuit mentioned in my post above.)
However, I've read elsewhere that they could have done this test without the payload on board, but that would cost extra. It is up to the customer to decide if they want to pay extra to protect their asset. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
Well said.
Achille Talon
Hop!
Thanks for the name calling, that surely gives a deep touch of "rightness" to your comment.
The step you are missing is from "SpaceX is compelled to answer the terms of its NASA contract" vs "SpaceX doesn't deliver one of its **private** launches".
Some homework:
How much of the payload was NASA's?
What are the insurance terms?
Have you got access to the project strategy in terms of success rate vs risk management, that entitles you to "know better"?
Surely they would have preferred not failing this launch, but there might be a bigger picture where a few or many of these are affordable.
My point is simply that I don't think they're running a space business on sheer luck.