re: Maybe you forgot the decimal point
There is no way it could be only $1.5 billion. The two mars rovers cost $820 million and most of that was in design and building. I think a Delta II launch costs something like $50 million.
I just did a quick Internet search to see if my previous engineering costs numbers correct. I searched for the prices to design new cars and I was surprised.
This number will shock everyone...
The Ford Mercury Mystique car cost $6 Billion to develop. A lot more then my 1 to 2 billion estimate in a previous post.
http://www.mhhe.com/business/marketing/marketplace/cybercases/ford.mhtml
The average person has no idea how much it costs to develop common everyday items.