Hmm... actual question: for pure science exploration missions, does insure probes against failure given investment in *ground* assets.
For example, if Juno failed suddenly, all terrestrial Juno-specific resources would be a deadweight loss.
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How much incremental land based investment is there? Launch infrastructure is common, signals and data management is common. What is a capital cost that stays on the ground?
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probably software used to analyze the specific sensor data? human capital?
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Opportunity cost (not deadweight loss) for the human capital. And potentially sensor specific software losses, but I’d think there is some repeatable stuff there.
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I tend not to think of human opp cost unless the work is coerced. People who freely choose to do something (whether or not paid) kinda don't fall under opp cost calculus in the same way material resources do.

