🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep11.081332.16953@techbook.com>, szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes...
>One of the big problems is political: SEI is not coming out of JPL, but
>on the other hand NASA has been starving JPL projects, especially the
>planetary projects. 

Unmanned missions have always had to battle to get funding, and it not
something isolated specifically to JPL.  I could see it appearing that way 
since JPL is so heavily involved with the planetary missions.

>In turn, JPL has shown a lack of interest in coordinating 
>with projects such as SEI on missions.  

This is not true.  A Lunar Scout project office has been set up at JPL to
coordinate activities with Johnson Space Center.

>This has got to stop!  Artemis is a 
>close cousin to MESUR and Mars Sample Return, and they should share technology 
>to save costs and increase mission effectiveness.  Ditto for lunar orbiters 
>and Mars orbiters.  Given the further fact that SEI has Mars missions as 
>its major goal, it is completely ridiculous for this schism to 
>continue.  

What you are seeing is the adoption of the "smaller, faster, and cheaper"
concept which has evolved only recently over the last 2 or 3 years.
Because of this, there is a proliferation of new proposed missions following
this recent standard.  There is MESUR and the Pluto Fast Flyby from JPL, 
Lunar Scout and Artemis from SEI, and NEAR from John Hopkins.  The orbiter 
series  (Mars Observer and Lunar Observer) and the Mariner Mark II series 
(CRAF/Cassini, Pluto flyby, and Neptune orbiters) were proposed before the 
current trend and unfortunately do not fit in guidelines of the new concept.

>JPL needs to give up its claim of monopoly on planetary
>exploration, 

JPL's main charter is to manage all of the unmanned planetary missions as 
defined in the Memo of Understanding agreement with NASA.  But even so, JPL 
hasn't exactly had a monopoly on planetary exploration.  The Pioneer 10 & 11 
spacecraft were Ames missions, the Lunar Orbiters were done by Langley 
Research Center, and the Viking missions were also directed by Langley.

>and NASA needs to start funding planetary exploration again.  
>Stop the turf battles and get on with these projects!

NASA *is* trying to fund planetary exploration.  The problem
is getting Congress to start funding planetary exploration.
     ___    _____     ___ 
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Anything is impossible if
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | you don't attempt it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |