NASA has a funding problem, and it has limited greatly what the agency can do. Based on the current budget proposal from the government, it will be doing even less on Mars and the moon.
While there is no mistaking that NASA is looking at an overall healthy budget for its planetary science program, the Mars Opportunity Rover and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will not be covered in the 2016 fiscal year. Budget cuts had to be made and, after deliberations, the two missions came out as the likeliest candidates for axing.
It is a shame: news that the Opportunity could be ending its stint in Mars comes after the rover just got its flash memory problem resolved. Overall, the rover is in top shape and is actually ready to explore Marathon Valley. Orbital data show that clay minerals are highly concentrated in the area. A rover could prove if habitable environments are present, but the prospects of exploring beyond Marathon Valley is now very slim.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, on the other hand, has been collecting impressive data, adding to what people know so far about the moon. Paul Spudis from the Lunar and Planetary Institute refers to the orbiter's mission as a "high value for few dollars" science, calling for the continuation of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to allow a global high-resolution map of the moon to be finished.
"This data set will be used for decades to come and will allow the identification of new sites for exploration, utilization and, eventually, habitation," he said.
Should more bistatic radar be provided, this will also identify specific locations on the moon where polar ice can be found and how much ice will be there exactly. This is important information as the presence of ice may offer insight on how habitable an area will be.
However, the mini-RF radar that will be used to pick up echoes from radar pulses is also currently not in use because of funding issues.
While space scientists are still hoping that there is still a way to find funding for the two missions, Charles Bolden, NASA administrator, has made it clear that the Opportunity, at least, truly has its days numbered, calling it a mission whose time has passed.
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed on the Red Planet in 2004 while the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched in 2009.
Photo: Stephen Pakbaz | Flickr
