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The John Batchelor Show

Preview: Colleague Bob Zimmerman reports that NASA has cancelled the lunar rover VIPER because of vast cost overruns. More later.

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2025

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Preview: Colleague Bob Zimmerman reports that NASA has cancelled the lunar rover VIPER because of vast cost overruns. More later.
1963

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:06.8

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0:14.1

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0:25.0

perfect mom.

0:26.5

Miki Couture, wrap her in love this Mother's Day.

0:30.1

This is John Batchelor.

0:31.9

I learned from colleague Bob Zimmerman that NASA has canceled Viper.

0:37.1

That is a rover that was destined for the moon, except over budget, over time, over.

0:46.0

NASA has a beautiful project that it couldn't launch because of patience ran out. Also, Bob makes the case right now everywhere

0:59.2

and NASA's reconsidering its role. Don't build it. Hire other people to build it.

1:06.3

Let free enterprise, commercial enterprise, do the work for you.

1:12.2

But still, Viper.

1:14.8

Bob says it's being set aside.

1:20.7

Perhaps someday somebody will put together a booth term, put it on the moon.

1:23.2

Bob Zimmerman to explain.

1:25.2

More of this tonight.

1:29.6

Yes, though there are two different lunar landers that have just been pretty much canceled though things could change of course um NASA has basically canceled its

1:34.4

viper rover solicitation Viper was way over budgeted it was really had a budget of 250 million

1:40.4

if it ballooned up to 600 million and that would be enough to finish the

1:44.5

rover so about a year ago NASA canceled the plan to launch it on astrobiotics

1:49.9

Griffin lander and instead they solicited it solicited from the private sector

1:57.0

asking for plans to get it launched at no cost to NASA.

...

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