A Suggestion for the European Space Agency

While this might already be done to some extent at the European Space
Agency, here's a suggestion for the ESA: Different European countries
could come up with their own mission ideas and plans and fully fund
their own missions. The agency would lend its resources to support
these missions. This, along with shared resources of the agency being
used for common agency missions that are not country-specific, could
increase the scope of EU space exploration, and therefore, space
exploration in general. For example, Britain could, on top of its
normal support for, and participation in, ESA missions, fund its own
specific probe to a particular body in the solar system, say a moon of
Jupiter or Saturn. Beagle II is an example of this kind of thing that
has already been done. Or Italy could probe Mercury; etc.

Well, this is a serious suggestion. But with this kind of activity
going on, can you imagine the headlines?

"Germany Conquers Europa!"

Of accomplishing anything but our moon or Venus, because those are
100% mine.

BTW, notice how ESA is just so much toilet paper for our DARPA/
NASA.

- Brad Guth Brad_Guth Brad.Guth BradGuth


wrote:
While this might already be done to some extent at the European Space
Agency, here's a suggestion for the ESA: Different European countries
could come up with their own mission ideas and plans and fully fund
their own missions. The agency would lend its resources to support
these missions. This, along with shared resources of the agency being
used for common agency missions that are not country-specific, could
increase the scope of EU space exploration, and therefore, space
exploration in general. For example, Britain could, on top of its
normal support for, and participation in, ESA missions, fund its own
specific probe to a particular body in the solar system, say a moon of
Jupiter or Saturn. Beagle II is an example of this kind of thing that
has already been done. Or Italy could probe Mercury; etc.

Well, this is a serious suggestion. But with this kind of activity
going on, can you imagine the headlines?

"Germany Conquers Europa!"