Failure of Mars Lander

* I concur wholeheartedly with “One Too Many Misfires” (editorial, Dec. 8), that to prevent further failures in NASA programs, contractor oversight, quality control and less reliance on outsourcing would be the ways to go. The heart and soul of it could be a management problem. Vice President Al Gore’s government reform has led to acquisition policies that favor a disregard for specifications and regulations, overemphasizing contractor self-oversight and deletion of mandatory government product inspections and cost data. The Mars Polar Lander could serve as only a tip of the iceberg.

JAMES LOW

Los Angeles

* A suggestion for NASA and JPL, a.k.a. “an inch is as good as a centimeter.” Try looking for the Mars Polar Lander on Venus.

BOB SCHONER

Fullerton

* I am appalled that NASA is using the excuse that cheap parts and shortcuts caused the failure of the Mars landing. It’s time to dedicate our space efforts to the success that we have already achieved on the moon and spend our resources on technology that will help protect our Earth from pollution and destructive forces within our own planet.

We can’t win the war on drugs and gangs, and we still have to win the war on school violence and in education. Perhaps NASA can come up with just one absolute fact to help our society on this Earth, instead of flying off this Earth to an area where man can never live long enough to venture, much less explore.

RAY GALVAN

Sun City

* When only success is tolerated, we will only attempt what we know we can do. Without taking risks that may fail, our discovery of new knowledge will slow to a trickle. Thank you, NASA, for making sure our reach exceeds our grasp.

RALPH FORD

Manhattan Beach

* Two consecutive Martian lander disappearances just cannot be coincidental. Perhaps NASA should reread Ray Bradbury’s classic, “The Martian Chronicles.” The first failure--due to a childish “error” concerning metric/English systems--must have been psychically suggested by the super-intelligent Martians. The second flop would have been child’s play for the by-now-amused Martians merely trying to protect what little privacy they have in this super-astronomical age. Could diplomacy (if we have it) be the key to future dealings with Mars?

HORACE GAIMS

Los Angeles