Lockheed Gets $485M From NASA To Create MAVEN Craft

coondoggie writes to tell us that Lockheed Martin has landed a $485 million contract to create the spacecraft for NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) project. "MAVEN is the second mission in NASA's Mars Scout Program — a series of small, low-cost, principal investigator-led missions to the Red Planet, NASA said. The Phoenix Mars Lander was the first mission under the program. Lockheed Martin is the industry partner on the Phoenix mission. It designed and built the spacecraft, and also provided flight operations and currently surface operations for the lander. The mission has been extended through Sept. 30, 2008."

Re:It's time to defund NASA

[Bruce Perens]

Yeah, that's what they said in the sixties about the moon

So, what's the telephone area code for the moon, Mr. Anonymous?

Oh, there is none? Why, because nobody has been there for 40 years. The United States does not have the competence to operate space research.