The budget problems for MSL began early. Budget issues in the Mars Exploration Program forced deferment of some work on MSL to FY 2008. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory requested additional funds in 2007 and 2008 to meet the 2009 launch date. The Critical Design Review in June revealed additional cost overruns. Materials NASA planned to use on the heat shield didn’t pass tests, resulting in more costs for redesign efforts.
Mission designers planned to use dry, titanium-based actuators (motors that move the wheels, robotic arm, and camera mast) that would allow MSL to operate in a wider range of conditions on Mars, but the technology didn’t pan out, requiring more funds for replacement and redesign. Many other issues plagued the MSL team, and the 2009 launch window kept getting closer.
In late 2008, with a nearly $220 million shortfall looming and no margin left in the schedule, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate Ed Weiler, Director of Planetary Science Jim Green, and Director of the Mars Exploration Program Doug McCuistion announced that MSL would not launch in 2009. A two-year delay would add an additional $430 million in “standing army” costs to the price tag just to keep all the necessary people on the team for an additional 26 months. Click here. (12/8)
Orbital Selects Atlas for 2015 Cygnus ISS Launch, From Florida (Source: Florida Today)
Cape Canaveral will be the starting point for all cargo launched from the United States to the International Space Station next year. Orbital Sciences Corp. confirmed plans to launch an unmanned Cygnus cargo craft from the Cape late next year on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. That mission, and an option for another in 2016, are part of Orbital's plan to recover from the Oct. 28 explosion of an Antares rocket in Virginia. (12/9)
Research Offers Explanation for Titan Dune Puzzle (Source: UT Knoxville)
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is a peculiar place. Unlike any other moon, it has a dense atmosphere. It has rivers and lakes made up of components of natural gas, such as ethane and methane. It also has windswept dunes that are hundreds of yards high, more than a mile wide and hundreds of miles long—despite data suggesting the body to have only light breezes. Click here. (12/9)
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