Cassini-Huygens mission

[russ]

The Cassini-Huygens mission has been extended from 2010 to 2017. So plenty more time to explore the Saturn system. Full story here:

BBC News - Saturn mission 'extended again'

[Rusty Strings]

Excellent stuff, especially in these cash stapped times. Not wanting to appear cynical, but the timing of this annoucement, just after Obama has cancelled the moon, is either interesting or a coincidence.

John

[russ]

That's what i thought too. Is it a sweetner to soften the blow of cancelling the moon programme. The budget is probably tiny in the grand scheme of things. But it is good news that it will carry on.

[brianb]

Excellent stuff, especially in these cash stapped times.

Being cynical here, but extending the life of Cassini is a great way of keeping the team occupied without the expense of making & launching a new probe.

Once you've launched it, it is obviously a Good Idea to get all you can from it, but are we possibly missing out on "new technology" and/or experiments which Cassini isn't capable of running but a new probe designed in the knowledge of what Cassini has discovered could do?