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jlf1961 -> Hot off the press.... (8/12/2016 10:50:53 AM)
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NASA has finally admitted that the Orion Deep Space Exploration Vehicle is too small to comfortably house astronauts for the six month trip to Mars in a release announcing the awarding of six companies money to develop long term deep space habitats.
source
Now I have been saying this ever since NASA announced the Orion development program and the proposed cost (which by the way is now almost 100 billion over budget.)
Don't get me wrong, I would like to see Americans (with astronauts from other countries) land on Mars.
However, it has been my opinion that the US, or even a combine of nations will not be able to foot the bill.
Hell, one Hollywood director/producer dropped hints to NASA about how to raise the money with the failed tv series Gravity. In addition to international governments funding the program, the mission had corporate sponsors (there was a scene when a candy company threatened to sue NASA for not allowing a tv commercial to be filmed.)
Some firms have even approached NASA and ESA with promises in funding in return for exclusive or joint venture contracts.
However, both agencies have a bit of a legal issue in accepting such offers.
In the case of NASA, while technically a civilian agency, it is still funded by the US Government, and subject to funding source limitations as stipulated in a very VERY old law passed when the agency was formed.
To the public, NASA was formed to further space exploration by a civilian agency. However, it was not until the Apollo program that non-military astronauts were even placed on the roster, and only due to the fact that exploration of the moon would require people with training other than aerospace engineering, being a test pilot, or fighter pilot.
The truth of the matter was that NASA was one more cold war formed agency to try and beat the Russians.
So for NASA to accept outside funding the law needs to be changed.
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