Yeah, but....<br /><br />"European governments will not make a decision to fund the one billion euro mission until November 2008. <br />"If we want to preserve the launch date in 2013 we cannot stop at all," Jorge Vago, ExoMars project scientist, told BBC News. <br />"We need to start procuring long-lead items - the sort of stuff you order today and you get in one and a half years." <br />The next available launch opportunity would be 2016. "<br /><br />So the decision won't be made for a year for a project that won't be launched for over half a decade.<br /><br />I consider anything that's more than 5 years out as theoretical.<br /><br />Still it is good news, that a year before the decision they are still comitted to it. <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /><br /><br />Rats, I think I'm getting cranky.<br /><br />Wayne<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>