Nasa delays its next Mars mission

[Notebook]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7765818.stm

N.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7765818.stm

N.

The same will happen to Russian Phobos-Grunt, though it hasn't been officially acknowledged yet.

 

[Notebook]

Really, thats a bit dissapointing. I was looking forward to that.

N.

 

[garyw]

MSL is being talked about over at www.nasawatch.com - I will be surprised if it flies at all. It was originally quite a small mission but growing requirements have added to teh complexity and caused the project to go over budget. It even caused Dr. Alan Stern to quit from NASA in disgust at how the project had been managed.

 

[Urwumpe]

I think the same could happen to the European Mars Rover mission, ExoMars. They have a few days ago increased the budget extremely (663 million Euro increase, to 1023 million Euro) after being pretty reluctant to it, but still it's launch is no earlier than 2016, which is more than just one chance to cancel it before the first metal is cut.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The MSL has now got a name: Curiosity

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/msl-20090527.html

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2011, has a new name thanks to a sixth-grade student from Kansas. Twelve-year-old Clara Ma from the Sunflower Elementary school in Lenexa submitted the winning entry, "Curiosity." As her prize, Ma wins a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., where she will be invited to sign her name directly onto the rover as it is being assembled.

 

[tl8]

The MSL has now got a name: Curiosity

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/msl-20090527.html

I preferred MSL to be honest

 

[Marcel]

Well, at least we won't have to worry if it meets a banth!

 

[Urwumpe]

I am for calling the following Mars Rover Reality!

 

[Kyle]

If they can name a Space Shuttle after the USS Enterprise then they need to name a Rover after the Falcon from Star wars in my opinion!