On Sunday, March 9, 2014 10:27:18 AM UTC-4, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Sun, 9 Mar 2014 06:18:25 -0700 (PDT), RichA

wrote:

Seems the Cassini mission will be killed in 2015 b

It's already operating well past its original end-of-life. And it
isn't a purely NASA mission. The ESA can opt to continue with the
extended mission if they choose.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/14/opinio...ssini-mission/

Extended missions are always subject to continued financing outside
the original budget. If Congress doesn't allocate sufficient funding,
NASA has to adjust its priorities.

Perhaps Congress needs to adjust its priorities, with less wasted on pork (vote buying) and more spent on space (not Earth) exploration.

As we now know with a high degree
of certainty that the world is in deep trouble due to climate change,
and part of NASA's primary charter is studying the Earth and its
climate, it makes good sense they should shift what resources they
have to that. Understanding the Earth in more detail has become the
most important thing NASA can do.

Wrong. Its most important duty has always been and still is, to develop space hardware, especially launch vehicles.