NASA reapproves all its planetary science missions

New York Times : Last week it was revealed that the most recent review of NASA’s planetary science missions would recommend continuing support for the Opportunity rover and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter . But the fate of the agency’s other five missions was uncertain. Now that the results of the review, conducted by outside experts, have officially been released, it appears that all seven of the agency’s missions have been given support for continuation. The other five include Cassini , Curiosity , the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter , Mars Odyssey , and an instrument onboard the European Space Agency’s Mars Express . However, the actual continuation of the projects will depend on the budget determined by Congress. Curiosity has finished its original two-year mission, so funding for the rover now must come from the extended mission budget, which is not likely to increase to account for the additional cost. Cassini was the only project given a rating of “excellent” and a three-year extension, after which it will run out of fuel and is set to crash into Saturn.