That would be a shame. Cassini has already been an incredible mission, and scientists estimate it has at least four more years of life left in it. Cassini's operating budget is about $60 million per year while Curiosity's runs to roughly $50 million. That's about what the Department of Defense has budgeted for 3-D printer research and is less than half of what it's estimated to spend maintaining its golf courses. The Cassini mission has already cost $3.26 billion to launch and operate. 60 million against a 17 billion yearly NASA budget. Well, I guess they have to conserve to fund the next Solyndra or Muslim outreach.
They have a chance to go into orbit inside the ring system, weigh the rings, and descend into Saturn's atmosphere while collecting data. Can't do it, have to protect the bureaucracy.
#1
...and is less than half of what it's estimated to spend maintaining its golf courses.
...last time I was around, golf courses were non-appropriated fund operations. Which means that the funding didn't come from Congress. Its was a combination of self sustaining fees and what passes for 'profit' from the exchange system. Correct me if I'm wrong.
#4
China and India sending probes into space. US cutting existing projects to fund more OFA idiots going door to door to sell ObamaCare. Our priorities could not be out of whack.
#1
The Notre Dame "honorary degree" has probably caused some embarrassment, but little actual harm and no out-of-pocket expense. At least a portion, and possibly much of the pain we endure today is derived from non-honorary academic credentialing, the credentialing which became a lofty enabler. A credentialing, sadly today, exhibits no level of transparency and is not to be discussed. It was in all probability, paid for by the taxpayer, and unarguably represents academic studies and accomplishments we will never gain knowledge of, or be able to verify.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
