Me, "The more data, in pictures and scientific data, should help Astronauts find a good place to set up a Mars colony. We already have a lot of data on Mars, however, it never hurts to have another pair of eyes (another Orbiter) looking Mars over or for new things. It's better to have too much data than not enough. I would say NASA is doing a good job of exploration.
Could it use more money? Sure. But sometimes having a set amount of money creates new ideas on how to make the most with the money given. It's a Catch 22.
Of course, it also helps to know exactly how much money it can count on to be given a year. Maybe, a bill in Congress should be passed that finally states how much money NASA can expect to receive as a percentage of the U.S. economy? And, of course certain extra increases for special missions."
From article, "NASA's Next Mars Orbiter Is Being Planned for 2022"
(NASA is planning on sending a new orbiter to Mars. It'll be a chance to replace some aging hardware and also to get some more amazing science images and data from the Red Planet, in anticipation of more robotic missions to Mars and a possible human mission in the 2030s.
While the full funding hasn't yet been approved for the new mission, the 2022 orbiter — referred to as the Next Mars Orbiter or "NeMO" — early conceptual work has been carried out. In July, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., awarded five $400,000 sub-contracts for concept studies, to five companies.)
No comments:
Post a Comment