anzha's Journal: Beagle 3 News

BBC has an article about Beagle 3. Interesting that the PI has long lambasted NASA's approach for space probes, yet is asking NASA for a lift to Mars.

NASA seems to be interested in sending the probe though along with its Mars Lab unmanned long term rover (supposed to last longer than a Martian year). Much to the Greens chagrin, the Mars Lab is nuclear powered.

I can be quite critical of NASA too, to be sure. Anybody that's followed my comments since I have been on /. can see this. I am especially harsh about their manned projects. This is not because I don't want a manned space program within NASA, but because NASA keeps screwing up their manned programs. The X-30 and X-33 are two prime examples. They even screw the pooch on their launcher development programs too (*cough* X-34 *cough* ALS *cough* NLS *cough*).

However, their unmanned program is something they seem to do relatively well. So long as they don't go the battleship with wings route (like Mars Observer).

GOCOs vs. NASA

[Cujo]

NASA does well per dollars spent on their unmaned probes because it isn't NASA doing them - it's Government Owned Controactor Operated labs run by academic institutions with a fairly minimal involvement by civil servants or NASA oversight contractors. An excellent example is the recent ChipSAT, a project run by UC Berkely and built by the little company SpaceDev for the amount of money it would take a NASA center to get through a concept study.

The Aldridge commission recognized this, and recommended using