NASA’s Budget Cuts Hit a Rover

It turns out that (according to this blog entry at CNN) NASA’s budget cuts and cost overruns in another Mars program now mean that some scientists in the Mars Rover program will lose their jobs and that the Mars Spirit Rover will be shut down (hibernated) to save money. It may be awakened again (presumably if the money ever comes back).

So… we cut jobs at NASA, put a working spacecraft to sleep, and this benefits the country how? Is that saved money going to education? Health care? Human services? Skeptical cat is skeptical.

UPDATE: A hearty thanks and a polite curtsy to Fred Kiesche of TexasBestGrok, who points out in the comments that apparently there’s a change of plan for the MER missions. Now, according to AP and other sources, the Mars Rovers won’t be cut or shut down. Good news. I wonder what happened to cause that turnaround?