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As the title and the article of the same, Mars Master Plan: NASA Outlines New Approach I should say at least the unmanned plan for now is being restructure due to the funding crunch for the CEV development. We have a few threads related to this as it relates to the lack of science or with regards to cancellations of programs, probes and the likes of things still to come.
Nasa is on a tight purse string and needs to free up cash if man is ever going anywhere beyound LEO. Even the ISS presence is threatened since the shuttle is not flying and the combination of there program costs are stagering for the science that we are currently getting from them. IMO due to crew size aboard the station.
Hopefully the like of the alternative space rocket companies can get into the game of at least resupply to off load the burden of cost for running the shuttle soon.
The article does go onto cover the chances of another duo for the MSL and the changing of dates to acomplish this task. But I wonder what science needs to be done and at what cost be for Manned flight could begin if we had the ships capable of getting us there today.
Much work by other organizations have been done and here is just one referrence that I found while surfing today.
[url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpi/HEDS-UP/caltech.pdf] THE MARS SOCIETY OF CALTECH HUMAN
EXPLORATION OF MARS ENDEAVOR[/url]
I sure would have liked it to be date stamped but oh well...
It does get into the time frames for missions and more, so read on all.
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Well no takers so here is the science roadmap for mars exploration.
Time line chart is on pg 7.
Pretty much we are to late to do anything with the MRO but for the MSL we have heard talk of making it 2 units.
The details are in this document.
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