Daniel Whiteson says potential Europa ocean missions would cost ‘chump change’ compared with national spending

What was said

""They have ambitions to do that, but they don't have the money. Like, it would cost a few billion, which is like nothing. It's chump change.""

Daniel Whiteson argues NASA has ambitious science goals—such as missions aimed at probing Europa’s subsurface ocean for possible life—but lacks the funding and political support to pursue them at scale. He characterises a few billion dollars as a relatively small sum given the potential scientific payoff and contrasts NASA science work with commercial launch priorities.