Washington Monument ploy works; Mars Rover budget cut rescinded

Yippee! Hooray! Just received updated information from John Spencer the Director of Red Planet Ventures, that NASA will not be mothballing either of the solar-powered Mars exploration land rovers Spirit or Opportunity. I am sure I was not the only one that was dismayed by the original decision when I posted Mars rover is over: LMT, RTN, billionaires please inquire.

THE PLOY:

• From What's New: It's a lot easier to get Congress to create popular new initiatives than to pay the cost of keeping them up. The most popular tourist attraction in the Capital is the Washington Monument; if Congress threatens to cut its operating budget the Park Service announces it will have to close the Monument. Told on Tuesday that the cost of the Mars Rover mission must be cut 40%, Steve Squyres of Cornell, the PI, announced that either Spirit or Opportunity would have to be euthanized or at least hibernate for the rest of the fiscal year. Are they kidding? The cyber generation has bonded with the rovers. Designed for a three month lifetime, the cuddly rovers have been going for four years, living on sunshine and never complaining about the cold nights. You might as well announce that the National Zoo plans to cut expenses by tossing the panda cubs into the piranha tank. That was clear to, Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, and on Wednesday he ordered the budget cut rescinded immediately. (3/28)

NASA says it has absolutely no plan to turn off either of the Mars Rovers because of budget cuts as previously reported NASA order to cut $4 million. NASA is now saying that it has rescinded a letter that recommended budget cuts in the Mars Rover program to cover the cost of a next-generation rover on the Red Planet.

It's nice to share some good news once in a while.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money.