What are the consequences for Mars exploration?
One of the main and immediate consequences is that we’re diverting scarce resources in the planetary programme into searching for water on Mars (i.e. Life on Mars). Now some of that will reap a benefit anyway in terms of inproving our understanding of Mars in general, but a lot of it is going to be seen as a wasted effort. we need to return to the basics of Mars exploration, to visit the planet with robot probes that have robust survivable mission profiles. No 30-minute airplane flights, for instance, we need 3-year orbiters with continuous detailed mapping and a real Mars rover -” A Marsokhod”. We need another try at a Polar Lander, to dig into and sample the permafrost layers. Will we find CO2 clathrates, dry ice, or water ice? We need more orbiters with detailed imaging capability and more laser altimeters to produce really detailed topographic maps. All this costs money, which needs public support. I’m worried that there may be a bursting of the bubble of public confidence in Mars
