J
j05h
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In December it was reported that the Canadian government was not going to support the ESA's ExoMars rover. While there have been some surmointable technical issues, the main problem was funding. The path that was advocated and rejected in Ottawa was to re-arrange a chunk of CSA's budget toward the project, equal to $100M over 10 years. The companies involved are threatening to move to the US, and frankly having MDA (CanadArm) in the States would rock. <br /><br />http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/14/mars-rover.html<br /><br />http://www.newscientist.com/blog/space/2006/12/canada-bails-on-future-mars-rover.html<br /><br />Is there any new news? Has a new partner been chosen? Europe says it doesn't have the robotics skills to build ExoMars, which leaves JPL, APL, MDA (even if CSA passes) and what other organizations to build it? What are Canada's other space priorities?<br /><br />ESA has an updated page that still indicates ESA-Canadian cooperation. How will this happen? Is the CSA being avoided? Is CSA being disbanded/absorbed into NASA or ESA? One of the articles indicates it has not had a director for over a year.<br /><br />http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Aurora/SEM1NVZKQAD_0.html<br /><br />Thoughts on the situation?<br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>