UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

Rxke · 2004-10-01 03:45:12

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natu … 46.stm]BBC online

Very short article, but very significant development. UK decides to be a major player in ESA's Aurora program, instead of going it alone...

djellison · 2004-10-01 04:56:07

UK Space budget is an embarrasment. I've written to every MP I've ever had, two Prime Ministers, and a Science Minister asking why our spending per capita is a tiny percentage of that of other developed worlds - and not once had a valid answer.

With the knowledge base and resources in this country - we should be regularly having MAJOR involvement in space exploration - but no.

Hopefully - this is a small step forwards!

Of course - Aurora is a flawed plan anyway - essentialyl paying to develop a MER scope rover when our friends the other side of the pond have already developed a beautiful working MER! Seems stupid really.

Doug

Rxke · 2004-10-01 05:07:49

Yes and no...

Europe could either licence the MER design, saving lots of R&D, but that way learn nothing, engineering wise.... or try to build one themselves, learning a lot, at, of course a greater cost, but giving engineers something to improve their skills, I guess...

ESA doesn't stop building Arianes because of the HLV's NASA uses, so...

smurf975 · 2004-10-01 05:20:32

Of course - Aurora is a flawed plan anyway - essentialyl paying to develop a MER scope rover when our friends the other side of the pond have already developed a beautiful working MER! Seems stupid really.

Not invented here syndrome.

It's kind of stupid as companies such as Boeing or even the US army have no problems using technologies made and/or developed in Japan, UK, Germany, Israel and others.

But then those examples must be efficient and not try to spend as much as possible money on something that someone else can do better, cheaper and faster. ???

smurf975 · 2004-10-01 05:22:29

Yes and no...
Europe could either licence the MER design, saving lots of R&D, but that way learn nothing, engineering wise.... or try to build one themselves, learning a lot, at, of course a greater cost, but giving engineers something to improve their skills, I guess...
ESA doesn't stop building Arianes because of the HLV's NASA uses, so...

They can use the saved R&D money on other R&D. With space technologies there is always something to develop. Why reinvent the wheel when you can invent something new?

djellison · 2004-10-01 07:23:22

Thing is - we COULDNT buy/licence MER technology because of US law. But the US will happily fly foreign instrumentation on their rovers

Doug

Rxke · 2004-10-01 11:49:58

Is that so? Why not?

SpaceNut · 2004-10-01 11:58:55

I too am very surprized by this, since your nation is an allied aurgg... probably misspelled.

Best part of this is:
Aurora is a pan European bid to explore the solar system, bring back rock samples from Mars, and possibly even send a manned mission to the Red planet by 2033.

More on the starting article just another link to info.
UK backs Aurora Euro space programme
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/01/space_yes/

Grypd · 2004-10-01 13:19:51

What im glad about is that at least the UK has agreed to do something and will stick to it. Our history of science and technical projects is rather dismal in the last 50 years with project after project cancelled. Britain is the only country to have a space program and to give it up. Britain had a rocket plane that was the equal of the X15 projects and could have given us a spaceplane in the 1960s but it got cancelled too. But for Aurorae this allows what we are good at electronics and in automated vehicle technology to be used for space advancement.

Beagle 2 was a failure we are not sure why but if it had worked it could well have answered the greatest question that we have of Mars. Does it have life. How could a project that cost a fraction of the Mars rovers have done this, It had a multi probe that included a worm drill to go under the surface and look for samples. Any mars rover that Britain makes for the aurorae programme will hopefully have this sort of planning and invention and allow us to actually find out what we need, rather than just seeing evidence possibly hinting at and so on.

Britain needs to be able to do this we need to have something that only we do in ESA we have given everything else up. Even the Arianne program has a base in the technology that the UK had developed for its space program and handed to the French and Germans. And NASA needs us to do this too as two different minds working on the same plans will give different ideas and the best of both can be learned and put into the next generation of space robots.

SpaceNut · 2005-07-12 11:04:16

Germany Joins ESA’s Aurora Exploration Program

The German government ended a nearly four-year boycott of Europe’s Aurora space-exploration program by agreeing July 12 to invest an initial 3 million euros ($3.3 million) in the project, German space agency (DLR) and European Space Agency (ESA) officials said.

This makes it more likely that the ExoMars Mars lander and rover win backing in December.

Past newmars links for the Aurora program:

[url=http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1468]UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way
Now a partner in Aurora program[/url]

ESA - Aurora Program

[url=http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1924]ESA's Auroua - Humans to Mars 2025-30
Auroua Program, facts, links, discussion[/url]

[url=http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1775]Europe goes to the moon and Mars!
Human space flight....[/url]

JonClarke · 2005-07-12 16:26:50

Excellent news!

Jon

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2007-01-21 06:00:00

EuroNews looks at the future of European Space Exploration

New Mars Forums

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#1 2004-10-01 03:45:12

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#2 2004-10-01 04:56:07

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#3 2004-10-01 05:07:49

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#4 2004-10-01 05:20:32

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#5 2004-10-01 05:22:29

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#6 2004-10-01 07:23:22

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#7 2004-10-01 11:49:58

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#8 2004-10-01 11:58:55

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#9 2004-10-01 13:19:51

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#10 2005-07-12 11:04:16

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#11 2005-07-12 16:26:50

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

#12 2007-01-21 06:00:00

Re: UK wants to go for Mars the ESA way - Now a partner in Aurora program

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