Mars rover soars to $ 2.5 b
An artist’s conception of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover,
on the surface of Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory rover about
the size of a Mini-Cooper automobile, is due to be launched on
its mission to Mars late 2011, arriving on Mars in August 2012.
– Reuters Photo
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NASA’s next-generation rover to the surface of Mars will be quite the
behemoth - with a price tag to match.
Nine months before its scheduled launch, the space agency said the
flagship mission has burned through its reserves and needs an extra $ 82
million to complete testing before liftoff. It’s the latest cost overrun
to plague the Mars Science Laboratory, a nuclear-powered rover the size
of a small sports utility vehicle that will study whether the planet was
or is still habitable. Technical snags during development coupled with
ballooning costs forced NASA to delay the launch by two years.
Curiosity, as the rover is known, is now slated to lift off in late
November from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA broke the bad news last week to members of the planetary science
subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council, which provides input to the
space agency. It blamed the latest budget woes on issues that cropped up
during testing involving the rover’s avionics, landing radar and drill
that took more time and money than expected to fix. Arizona State
University planetary scientist Ronald Greeley, who chairs the panel, was
disappointed about the latest cost increase, but still supports the
mega-rover.
“We want that mission to fly,” Greeley said.
The problem could have been worse, some scientists say.
The amount needed to usher Curiosity to the launch pad is relatively
small compared to what’s already been spent, said Arizona State
University astronomer Jim Bell, who works on the long-running twin Mars
rovers mission.
Still, researchers are bracing for possible cuts to their projects to
cover the latest cost growth.
“It’s unavoidable that there will be some pain,” Bell said. Just how
much pain remains to be seen. NASA said the extra cash will come from
its planetary science division, which funds everything from technology
development to Mars missions to projects to the outer solar system.
AP |