Posted inOpinion

Editorial: Opportunities Taken and Missed

T

he planned scuttling of the U.S. Defense Department’s Orbital Express satellites stands out in stark contrast to NASA’s assignment of new missions to its Stardust and Deep Impact probes. In one case, two unique satellites, seemingly with plenty left to offer, are being

put out to pasture; in the other, NASA demonstrated both ingenuity and creativity in coming up with ways to maximize the scientific return from spacecraft that had completed their original missions.