Will NASA retreat from Mars

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Budget battles and shuffling spending priorities unfolding in Washington could mean the Curiosity rover, a car-sized mobile robot promising a rich scientific bounty on Mars, will be the last in a line of wildly successful missions doing research on the Red Planet.

The $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission is set to make unprecedented discoveries on the surface of Mars, carrying with it six wheels, a robot arm, stereo cameras and a powerful suite of sensors designed to trace the organic evolution of the Red Planet.

The mission's ultimate question is whether Mars was ever suitable for life in the past or present.

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[Bavarian Raven]

it would be sad if this WAS the last mission... just when we are starting to get some interesting results :/

[skookum]

it would be sad if this WAS the last mission... just when we are starting to get some interesting results :/

You can see with the state of the world finances why they just can't justify it. When people start losing their jobs which leads to losing homes then they see a space mission that costs billions take off, they will moan and be bitter. We can see the importance and benefit but they just see it as a waste, especially when they fail.

I am all for space exploration but I do believe we can't give them a blank cheque.

[Bavarian Raven]

You can see with the state of the world finances why they just can't justify it. When people start losing their jobs which leads to losing homes then they see a space mission that costs billions take off, they will moan and be bitter. We can see the importance and benefit but they just see it as a waste, especially when they fail.

I am all for space exploration but I do believe we can't give them a blank cheque.

the irony is though, nasa gets little money when compared to other serves...and has given society a great bang (technology wise) for the buck imho.

[Mr Supertypo]

You can see with the state of the world finances why they just can't justify it. When people start losing their jobs which leads to losing homes then they see a space mission that costs billions take off, they will moan and be bitter. We can see the importance and benefit but they just see it as a waste, especially when they fail.

I am all for space exploration but I do believe we can't give them a blank cheque.

Actually we need more of this.

NASA, research new tecnologies, it create jobs, it expand knowledge and the investments always have a return.

Cutting NASA is one of the most stupidest thing ever. Probably they are planning to use the money for saving other banks...again!

On another though, maybe investing in NASA it may be the key for getting out of the crisis?

[JesseCuster]

You can see with the state of the world finances why they just can't justify it. When people start losing their jobs which leads to losing homes then they see a space mission that costs billions take off, they will moan and be bitter. We can see the importance and benefit but they just see it as a waste, especially when they fail.

I am all for space exploration but I do believe we can't give them a blank cheque.

NASA Budget is less than $20 billion dollars

US Military Budget is more than $600 billion dollars

NASA's budget is a drop in the ocean and is an easier target for cutbacks than interests that the powerful military industrial complex has invested in.

Cutting a few billion dollars off NASA makes a politician sound like they're doing something because a few billion dollars sound like a lot of money. But it's not really in the big scheme of things. Leave NASA alone. Cut costs elsewhere.