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Posted by tourdemars to Mars Exploration Rovers at June 8, 2004 09:06 AM
That double-header of a rover mission to Mars -- Spirit and Opportunity -- are both moving toward fresh rounds of science-gathering and could survive far longer than once expected. Scientists and engineers that operate the robotic twosome are looking at "wintering over" schemes -- putting the mechanized explorers in hibernation mode, and then restarting their duties on Mars next spring. Coming out of hibernation mode in the spring, "we’re looking at the final demise of these vehicles perhaps as late as the onset of our second winter on Mars," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and principal investigator for the science payload carried on each of the Mars rovers.TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.marsnews.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/598
Vision for Space Exploration (VSE)acronym rather than the SEI (Space exploration initiative) which is where we started only a few months back.
NASA announced Tuesday afternoon that administrator Sean O'Keefe will be the luncheon speaker Wednesday at a meeting of the US Chamber of Commerce's board of directors in Washington.
The press release offers an interesting justification for the exploration plan: developing new technologies that could have commercial applications. This is understandable given that O'Keefe is speaking before a business-oriented audience outside of the aerospace industry, but relying on spinoffs to garner support for the vision seems like a weak approach.
Posted by: Harold LaValley at June 9, 2004 07:03 AM
link on spacetoday.net on commission update of report release now on the 16th according to space.com as viewed on the moontomars.org site:
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Rescheduled Press Conference Announcing Commission Report
WHERE: George Washington University
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st Street N.W.
Washington D.C. 20052
WHEN: Wednesday, June 16, 2004
12:00 Noon Press Conference
10:30 AM embargoed Report available for accredited media review on site
Posted by: Harold LaValley at June 9, 2004 08:19 AM