Abstract
The U.S. National Research Council's (NRC) planetary science decadal survey report, released on 7 March, lays out a grand vision for priority planetary science missions for 2013–2022 within a tightly constrained fiscal environment. The cost‐conscious report, issued by NRC's Committee on the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, identifies high‐priority flagship missions, recommends a number of potential midsized missions, and indicates support for some smaller missions. The report states that the highest‐priority flagship mission for the decade is the Mars Astrobiology Explorer‐Cacher (MAX‐C)—the first of three components of a NASA/European Space Agency Mars sample return campaign—provided that the mission scope can be reduced so that MAX‐C costs no more than $2.5 billion. The currently estimated mission cost of $3.5 billion “would take up a disproportionate near‐term share of the overall budget for NASA's Planetary Science Division,” the report notes.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
