Beagle 2 costs $48 million u.s.d. Shouldn't NASA be nervous?
As the conclusion of Raoul's interesting article states:
"Professor Pillinger told reporters on Thursday it [the cost of Beagle 2] was "in the region" of £30m, although many services were provided free or at low cost by the space community."
ME: That's $48 million u.s.d. Presumably that does NOT include the launch costs. Either way, this shows how much private industry can (HOPEFULLY) achieve in the absence of a stifling bureaucracy. How many times more would a comparable program from NASA cost? 4 times more? Mars Odyssey won't even land and yet it has already cost around $300 million (launch cost included, admittedly).