Posted: September 21, 2023 8:17 pm ET | Last Updated: September 21, 2023 8:17 pm ET | A second Independent Review Board on the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return mission concludes that the mission cannot be completed on the cost and schedule NASA advertises. The current design would cost $8-9.6 billion and alternatives could cost as much as $11 billion. Launches cannot take place until at least 2030. The IRB-2, chaired by Orlando Figueroa, also criticized how NASA is managing the program and communicating the importance of returning samples from the Red Planet.
  • albsen@beehaw.org
    7·
    3 years ago

    As Douglas Adams put it: most people where only concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper. The amount of small green pieces of printable paper is completely and utterly irrelevant in comparison to the next milestone mankind can achieve and must achieve to survive. (My personal, admittedly strong, opinion of course)

    • zhunk@beehaw.orgOP
      1·
      3 years ago

      It would be cool if NASA’s budget was raised, but in the meantime we have to deal with the reality that a flagship mission going way over budget takes money away from other programs.

  • zhunk@beehaw.orgOP
    1·
    3 years ago

    I’m really conflicted on this one. Behind schedule and $10 billion will inevitably turn into even more behind schedule and even more money. The opportunity cost of the money is a big part of that.

    I’m also still holding out hope that SpaceX will get Starship to Mars and back some time in the 2030s, but maybe that’s too naïve or optimistic of me.