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MarsNews.com
Mars project faces technical problems
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer 1 hour, 59 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - NASA's flagship mission to land a nuclear-powered, next-generation
rover on Mars is facing development problems and ballooning costs that could
threaten its
scheduled launch next year.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told a congressional hearing this month that
engineers
had to redesign the heat shield on the Mars Science Laboratory after tests
showed the
protective layer would not survive entry through the Martian atmosphere.
The extra work is expected to add $20 million to $30 million to the $1.8 billion
price tag,
already $165 million over budget.
NASA is still aiming for a 2009 launch, but the space agency is also mulling
alternative
voyages in 2010 and 2011, Griffin told the House Science and Technology
Committee on
Feb. 13.
ECIT2008 Session on The Science and Technology of Non-Agency Space Missions
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