Space Policy Edition #16: NASA's Flagship Missions: Are They Worth It?

The multi-billion dollar, multi-decade Cassini mission is about to end. A new report tries to answer an important question: are flagship science missions like Cassini worth the effort and expense? And how can NASA maximize the value of these endeavors? Dr. Ralph McNutt, co-chair of the National Academies study, reviews the report’s recommendations.

A new episode of Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month. Let us know what you think! Comment on this page or write to planetaryradio@planetary.org.

Related Reading and References:

• Report - Powering Science: NASA's Large Strategic Science Missions
• To Boldly Go (and on Budget): The Greatest Hazard to space exploration turns out to be NASA's cost constraints (Washington Post, December 2013)
• Cassini's Phase A study report (PDF, 1988)