They have consistently been successful at what you could call JFK-less varieties of exploration, where nobody gets to be the JFK and make a big speech about Mar

They have consistently been successful at what you could call JFK-less varieties of exploration, where nobody gets to be the JFK and make a big speech about Mars human landings and decree a project that will get their name in the history books. Every JFK-project they have been saddled with, after the original, fizzled. This is because each incoming administration (without regard to party) wants to be the JFK. They don't want to deliver what the previous man hyped. Tear it up, back to the drawing board. Where it's an unassuming team of scientists plugging away making lander robots or what have you, they can do that.