How does one lobby ESA?

[fivemack]

NASA has cancelled Dawn, an ion-drive-propelled probe intended to visit two large asteroids.

A large portion of the spacecraft, including the two cameras provided by European organisations, has already been built - it was intended to launch in June. The budget was about 300 million Euros, much of which (though presumably not the launch vehicle) has already been spent. It would fit easily on an Ariane 5 - indeed, it's too small for it to make sense to launch it on such a vehicle; I can't quite tell whether it would fit on a Soyuz.

There's no competing ESA mission; so the question is, could NASA be convinced to let the mission be taken over by ESA, and could ESA be convinced to pay for it?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I suspect the easiest way of lobbying them is via your MP or the responsible minister, tugging on the paycheques might make them do something. :)

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

I've written, via theyworkforyou.com, to David Howarth beseeching him to ask Lord Sainsbury whether it might be possible to raise the issue with ESA ...