Why does NASA suck?

[Gurm]

Well NASA has now failed to actually get a lander to Mars several times now in the past few years.

But relatively soon, the ESA's Cassini spacecraft (which just did a beautiful flyby of Jupiter, providing the most high-resolution imaging to date of our biggest planet) will be arriving in the vicinity of Saturn, and dropping its Huygens probe into the atmosphere of Titan via parachute.

Apparently NASA sucks.

I imagine it has something to do with funding, but I don't see the EU sinking tons of cash into the ESA either.

- Gurm

[GT98]

I think Mars itself is has bit of bad luck when it comes to exploring it. The Russains lost a couple probes themselfs going to the red planet and NASA has had a couple stupid mistakes...like someone screwing up meters and feet and probe crashing beacause of that.

[The PIT]

Originally posted by GT98
like someone screwing up meters and feet and probe crashing beacause of that.

I wonder what happened to the person responsible for that exspensive cock up.

[Wulfman]

(sorry for deeplinking, esa )

isn't there some kind of "race to mars" going on between ESA/NASA at the moment?

mfg
wulfman

[The PIT]

Isn't that the famous black spot????

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by The PIT
Isn't that the famous black spot????

I think it's the shadow of a moon (look just to the right and below the "spot.")

[K6-III]

Cassini is not an ESA mission. It is a NASA mission.

The ESA component of the mission is the Huygens probe that will dive through the atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan.

[Gurm]

Then why is all of Cassini's data going to Jodrell Bank (sp?) instead of NASA?

All I know is the news story said it was an ESA op.

- Gurm

[The PIT]

Originally posted by KvHagedorn
I think it's the shadow of a moon (look just to the right and below the "spot.")

I wasn't being serious. 2010.

[K6-III]

Well, Cassini is a project of JPL. The DSN antennas are responsible for communication.

As for who analyzes the data, I don't see that it matters.

[K6-III]

BTW, the problem with NASA's losses of its recent Mars probes can be attributed to putting all their eggs in one basket.

In the 1970's, any mission consisted of two probes, for redundancy. This is no longer the case...

[Jon P. Inghram]

The upcoming Mars rover mission will have two probes, launched seperately. So, when the first one crashes into Mars because they got the altitudes of the landing sites reversed or something, they'll be able to reprogram the other one before it too crashes.

[cjolley]

The answer is two fold the first physical, the second philosophical.

1, Everybody loves it, but nobody wants to pay what it costs.
2, Privatization is destroying the base of expertise that NASA had.

chuck

[K6-III]

Originally posted by cjolley
The answer is two fold the first physical, the second philosophical.

1, Everybody loves it, but nobody wants to pay what it costs.
2, Privatization is destroying the base of expertise that NASA had.

chuck

AMEN!!!

[SpiralDragon]

same thing that is frying matrox.... managment.....