NASA took the safe bet, because a 'multimillion dollar spacecraft' was on the line. But was it really?
They already satisfied all the original mission directives. The spacecraft is now essentially free. Anything from here on is gravy. Why play it safe? It can be a plain expected-value play.
Well to play it safe would give them the chance to see another object in space that's millions of miles away (and one which we probably won't see up close for another 10-15 years). I don't know how much longer New Horizon's will be still functional though.
2 comments
[ 1100 ms ] story [ 166 ms ] threadThey already satisfied all the original mission directives. The spacecraft is now essentially free. Anything from here on is gravy. Why play it safe? It can be a plain expected-value play.