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back to article ESA seeks pricing for Mars rover

The European Space Agency (ESA) has asked Thales Alenia Space, the lead industrial partner on the ExoMars project, to put together a cost proposal for building a Mars Rover, according to reports. The agency says it wants to hear from the group in just 10 weeks time. The basic details of the design were hammered out by agency …

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  1. Nick Pettefar

    Mars Rover - Why Re-invent The Wheel?

    Don't NASA have a spare one they can buy? Theirs are obviously quite good!

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's Tessa Jowell doing these days?

    With her success at budgeting the Olympics I think she could get the whole kaboodle to Mars for £3.57 (excluding VAT obviously).

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  3. John A Blackley

    Europe can afford this?

    With fires in southern Europe and floods in dear ol' Blighty, immigrant welfare, bloated national health schemes and an ever-multiplying number of 'directives' to implement, Europe can afford a jaunt to the Red Planet?

    Here's a slightly modified plan - with a much better potential ROI: Have ESA find out how much it would cost to build a 200kg rover capable of trundling over European surface with a 16kg instrument package, searching for signs of intelligent life in Brussels.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Before and After?

    Based upon reliable information provided by the Beagle 2 mission.....

    Before the landing: £100M

    After the landing: £1 (scrap metal - buyer collects)

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why bother with a quote?

    Just send up a surplus rocket with a beer can on the end. That'll save everyone a lot of money on a project with limited outcomes:

    a) crash on impact (see Before and After above)

    b) burn up in atmosphere of Earth or Mars

    c) completely miss Mars and be returned to Earth in 21,000 by angry Greenpeace style aliens.

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