"Japanese researchers, who gave up on an attempt to explore Mars last December, have begun planning another probe to the Red Planet in cooperation with Russia.
Japanese researchers are exchanging information with their Russian counterparts, who will launch their own probe for the first time in 10 years, with an eye to the possibility of installing in the probe a small Japanese satellite that can orbit Mars to study the atmosphere."
+ Read Article (Daily Yomiuri)
Posted by jburk at July 4, 2026 10:05 AM | TrackBackI read that there is another NASA Plan To Kill TRMM Mission and of possible Backlash or Debate
on the fate of this satelite. NASA’s plan to drop a healthy environmental satellite into the ocean next year to decommission the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. A planned 18-month mission to study rainfall in the Earth’s tropical regions. The $650 million spacecraft, designed to last at least three years, is now in its seventh year of operations.
Only to save 3 to 4 million a year in expenses.
When will Nasa think, Is dumping a working satelite into the ocean the only possible solution. I would hope not. We spend millions sometimes even billions to make them to provide valueable data from everything about Earths enviroment to our solar suroundings. Nasa could sell the unit to someone or a nation, that would wish to still collect this data which could be sold.
Here's a thought to throw out there; should NASA be taking on the financial resposibilities of these satelites by themselves? If you subscribe to the idea that NASA's mission is exploration they should not be paying anything for this TRMM mission at all. I read the artical and there are a lot of organizations saying this information is important to them but I guess it's not important enough to to contribute any cash!
Mabey NASA should consider opening a "profit center" that would control and manage a mission for interests who want to orbit a satelite?
Russian space chief says delays hampering future Angara rocket
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid;=1539&ncid;=1539&e;=4&u;=/afp/20040714/sc_afp/russia_space_military_040714171553