MSL mission reduction due to NASA budget crunch

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

MSL mission reduction due to NASA budget crunch

Andrew · Senior Member

What do you expect? That after the billions wasted on ensuring the current way of life, that science programs be preserved above all else?

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

Nope...I guess not. Maybe I should be glad that at least this nuclear MMRTG mission would go ahead with its mission one way or the other. Its just that you figure if you're willing to place a rover of that size with that kind of power to cover 25+ miles of ground on Mars you'd think to conserve as much of the platform as possible.

I happen to watch RACE TO MARS episode in the storyline it made note that NTR Rocket technology's used to envision a first trip to Mars for a crew of 6. Frankly, I applaud the idea of including the NTR technology some might think it's a simple case of 'hyping' the propulsion technology de jour.

The sad fact is that gov't and its people tend to exist on an entirely low ebb plane with regard to space exploration. The premise of story made the point of a unifying event in the Mars trip; in real life (at least currently) people and gov't tend towards divisive strategies for profit and policy. Until divisive strategies fall out of favor and a return to peaceful pursuits like expanded space exploration, I don't see much hope for human expansion in our solar system.

Dusty · Veteran Member

I often find myself musing on how the world (Solar System biggrin

) might be diferent today had the Russians beaten the Americans to the Moon!

D

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

Hmmm...no difference, after a period of flag waving on the lunar surface by cosmonauts CCCP space program would have caved into politburo bureaucrats demanding reductions in space program in order to fund frivolous expenses like private Dachas or trips to Havana to purchase cigars with the accouterments that comes with high rank and power.

I mean wouldn't anyone with absolute power to wield as they see fit? hmm

GoogleNaut · Guru

Any idea of what was cut from the MSL?

10kBq Jaro · Senior Member

Supposedly the ChemCam :

http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2007/09/15/headline_news/news02.txt

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Headline News

NASA cuts LANL sampler from next Mars rover

ROGER SNODGRASS Monitor Assistant Editor

A NASA spokesperson confirmed Friday that the space agency is halting funding for ChemCam, a remote-sensing laser instrument built for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover. The instrument is almost completed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, said principle investigator Roger Wiens, who said he had just received a phone call about the change Friday morning.

"We're over 90-percent complete," Wiens said.

An article in Aviation Week magazine said the move was part of a "descoping" of the $1.7 billion Mars scientific probe scheduled for launch in 2009. In order to make up for a $75 million cost overrun discovered during a critical design review in June, some instruments were cut back and other were capped or changed.

Working with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, LANL was given the assignment to develop the instrument, known as ChemCam in late 2004 to accompany the mobile laboratory, a long-lasting nuclear-powered robotic investigator that will be looking for life-supporting environments on the planet's surface.

Bigger and heavier than the plucky Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity still at work after three years on Mars, the Mars Science Laboratory is intended to inspect Martian soil and rock samples at the molecular level and analyze them for signs and conditions of life, past or present.

Another instrument on which Dave Vaniman of LANL is the deputy principle investigator has not been affected by the cuts. CheMin, an X-Ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence instrument will enable the rover to do in-depth analysis of certain minerals on the spot.

ChemCam employs laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze samples of soils, stones and pebbles from a distance. In a few minutes it can identify the composition of vaporized materials from areas smaller than 1 millimeter on the surface of Mars and dispatch data to scientists on Earth, who can decide if any follow-up approaches might be in order.

The ChemCam project involves an international team, including the Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnement.

Wiens said a French company has already delivered the laser, which has been under testing for several months.

"Nothing technically has prompted this action," he said, emphasizing that there are no immediate plans to fold up the tent.

"Nothing is on hold with ChemCam," Wiens said

The article in Aviation Week said the project had other sponsors, "and NASA said they may be able to pick up the slack."

"Given the closeness to the instrument delivery, everybody here wants to support us 100 percent," Wiens added. "We're still moving ahead, and I think we will be on this mission."

Apart from acknowledging the cutback, NASA had not yet made a public statement about the changes as of Saturday morning.

-- Edited by 10kBq Jaro at 23:00, 2007-09-27

NUKE ROCKY44 · Senior Member

...Engineering changes to the mission include some reductions in design complexity, reductions in planned spares, some simplifications of flight software, and some ground test program changes. These changes were selected largely to help reduce mission risks. Changes in mission science content were limited to removal of the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI), the MASTCAM zoom capability from the mission, and a change from a rock grinding tool to a rock brushing tool. As noted by the science input NASA received, most of MARDI's capability can be provided by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRise camera now in orbit and working successfully. Furthermore, NASA has directed that the project expend no additional funds on ChemCam, and cost-cap SAM and CheMin at their current budgets. Future budget requests for these instruments cannot be funded. However none of the roving instruments were removed from the payload, and the science team also remains entirely intact. source

Oh...that's great ChemCam is out?

Oh! So, no zapping rocks with a laser. Just as I thought NASA ditches another LANL piece. What is it with NASA and LANL? Any 'cool engineering' out of LANL is off limits? What..? Did the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Extraterrestrial Microbial Life complain. Money problems...come on! What's the real reason?
I think LANL should challenge NASA on scrapping the ChemCAM Laser.
What laser operator wouldn't give to have the opportunity to play Halo3 on some Martian rocks? biggrin

-- Edited by NUKE ROCKY44 at 02:28, 2007-09-28

GoogleNaut · Guru

I understand that ChemCam is about 90% complete and that the work had not halted but that they simply would have to make it work with what they've got left in their budget (it is something like 100% over budget...)