Yesterday, April 26, NASA employees officially announced the expansion of eight planetary scientific missions at once, which, of course, should please the scientists involved in these projects. The space agency said the spacecraft, the oldest of which was launched into space more than 20 years ago, were chosen to continue their activities because of their scientific productivity and the potential to advance knowledge and understanding of both the solar system and space beyond it. . However, the point is not only in the potential of old devices, but also in the economic benefits of extending research programs.
“Expanded missions give us the opportunity to leverage NASA’s massive research investment, allowing us to continue scientific operations at a cost far less than developing a new mission,” Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said in a statement.
Gleizes added that maximizing the funds received from taxpayers will allow not only to obtain data on already launched missions, but also to explore new targets in space.
List of missions extended by NASA:
- Mars Odyssey (Martian orbiter).
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Martian orbiter).
- MAVEN (Martian orbiter).
- Mars Science Laboratory (Mars rover Curiosity).
- InSight (landing seismographic probe).
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (lunar orbiter).
- OSIRIS-REx (space probe for the study of asteroids).
- New Horizons (automatic interplanetary station that studied Pluto).
Accordingly, space agency specialists are betting on a more detailed study of Mars, the Moon and large space objects. Most of the missions on the list have been extended by three years, but only on the condition that there are no unforeseen problems with the spacecraft. But there are a few exceptions to the mission expansion program. For example, the operation of OSIRIS-REx was extended by as much as nine years, while the InSight apparatus is given a deadline until the end of 2022 (if the electrical system no longer allows). And the interplanetary station New Horizons, even without expansion, has a huge period of work – at least until 2035.
Source: Trash Box
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