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NASA's Office of Inspector General issued this status report on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) slated for launch in late 2011. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), part of the Science Mission Directorates Mars Exploration Program (Mars Program), is the most technologically challenging interplanetary rover ever designed. This NASA flagship mission, whose life-cycle costs are currently estimated at approximately 2.5 billion, will employ an array of new technologies to adjust its flight while descending through the Martian atmosphere, including a sky crane touchdown system that will lower the rover on a tether to the Martian surface.The report states: Project managers expected to complete integration of equipment by May 2011 and ship MSL to Kennedy for flight preparation by June 2011. However, of the ten issues Project managers identified as contributing to the launch delay, as of March 2011 three remained unresolved: contamination of rock and soil samples collected by the Sample Acquisition/Sample Processing and Handling (SA/SPaH) subsystem and development of flight software and the fault protection systems. The resolution of these and other issues that may arise during final integration is likely to strain the already limited margin managers built into the Projects schedule to allow for unanticipated delays. Moreover, since November 2009 this schedule margin has been decreasing at a rate greater than planned. Fault protection enables an instrument or system that does not operate as expected to operate at a reduced level rather than fail completely. In addition, approximately 1,200 reports of problems and failures observed by Project personnel remained open as of February 2011. If these reports are not resolved prior to launch, there is a possibility that an unknown risk could materialize and negatively affect mission success. Finally, since the 2009 decision to delay launch, the Project has received three budget increases, most recently an infusion of 71 million in December 2010. However, in our judgment because Project managers did not adequately consider historical cost trends when estimating the amount required to complete development, we believe the Project may require additional funds to meet the 2011 scheduled launch date.

Astronautical laboratories --- Management. --- United States. --- Outer space --- Exploration --- Equipment and supplies. --- Space flight research centers --- Laboratories --- N.A.S.A. --- NASA --- NASA Headquarters --- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.) --- Nat︠s︡ionalʹnoe upravlenie po aėronavtike i issledovanii︠u︡ kosmicheskogo prostranstva SShA

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In January 1959, after an exhaustive search through military service records, a number of Americas elite test pilots received orders to attend a series of top-secret briefings in Washington, D.C. These briefings were designed to assist in selecting a group of astronauts for the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its man-in-space program, Project Mercury. Following in-depth medical and psychological screening, 32 finalists were chosen. They would be subjected to the most rigorous, exploratory, and even degrading medical and psychological stress tests ever imposed on the nation's service personnel. NASA wanted the best of the best in its quest for the nation's first astronauts, and this is the story of that search for a group of near-supermen who were destined to become trailblazing pioneers of American space flight. For the very first time, after extensive research and numerous interviews, the names and amazing stories of those 32 finalists are finally revealed in this book. Only seven of them would ultimately be selected as America's Mercury astronauts, but those responsible for choosing the seven openly concede that it was an incredibly difficult task. They reveal that any of these courageous and superbly talented test pilots could so easily have been selected to fly into space, finding adventure, fame, and lasting renown as one of NASA's legendary Mercury astronauts.

Astronauts --- Mechanical Engineering --- Astronomy & Astrophysics --- Engineering & Applied Sciences --- Physical Sciences & Mathematics --- Aeronautics Engineering & Astronautics --- Astrophysics --- History --- Astronautics --- Project Mercury (U.S.) --- United States. --- History. --- Cosmonauts --- Space ships --- Air pilots --- Space travelers --- Manned space flight --- Pilots --- Astrophysics. --- Science (General). --- Astronautics. --- Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics). --- Popular Science, general. --- Aerospace Technology and Astronautics. --- Space sciences --- Aeronautics --- Astrodynamics --- Space flight --- Space vehicles --- Astronomical physics --- Astronomy --- Cosmic physics --- Physics --- Space sciences. --- Popular works. --- Aerospace engineering. --- Aeronautical engineering --- Engineering --- Science and space --- Space research --- Cosmology --- Science --- N.A.S.A. --- NASA --- NASA Headquarters --- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.) --- Nat︠s︡ionalʹnoe upravlenie po aėronavtike i issledovanii︠u︡ kosmicheskogo prostranstva SShA