As near as I can figure, $4 million is about .000013% of the Federal budget and THIS is what they cut? The Founding Fathers envisioned a revolution every 20 years or so, I think we are about 200 years past due for one.

Given how well these two robots have performed, their budget should not be cut. I would hope that at the current time that NASA would plan similar projects (with shorter expected life spans) for Neptune, Uranus and possibly Jupiter and Saturn’s moons. Granted they don’t have the great appeal that Mars does for a variety of reasons, but they are there.

As for Mars (and the moon for that matter), I would hope that we could have a series of satelites that get a GPS system up and ready for the first human scientists and colonists in the next 30 years. We need to begin to think about leaving the Earth and expand.

Thats getting a bit too ahead of ourselves I would say S.B. Stein.
As a matter of colonizing upon Mars, think about our current ability to get people into space. A small crew of say 12 would seem suffice, but to make it across a long and lonely trip to a distant planet is mind scambling. You would have to find people with minds of steel. Still it seems practical, but I’d say lets study this little red planet a litte more before we re-inact the scene of Neil A. Armstrong.

[...] the other hand, NASA responded quickly, saying that “…the cancellation of the Mars Exploration Rovers is not under [...]

Run ‘em into the ground just like a 1976 Montego. If there’s still life left in them, then let them go until they can’t go anymore, so much more scientific data we can collect. Hope Cassini lasts as long as these two.