Good sense prevails. For a change.

NASA has changed their mind and decided to reinstate the cancelled Dawn Mission to visit a pair of asteroids..

NASA’s once-canceled Dawn mission to visit a pair of asteroids has been reinstated following a mission review, space agency officials said Monday.

NASA initially canceled the Dawn mission, which calls for an ion-powered spacecraft to visit two large asteroids, earlier this month only to reverse that decision, which drew ire and opposition from planetary scientists at this month’s 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC).

After an in-depth study of the cost overruns and technical challenges plaguing Dawn’s development, NASA officials concluded that the mission should proceed towards a summer 2007 launch target.

“When you’re doing deep planetary missions….there are always pretty tall challenges,” NASA associate administrator Rex Geveden told reporters in a Monday teleconference. “And it looks like Dawn is ready to take those on and beat them.”

The decision buoyed Dawn mission scientists, who had mourned the project’s cancellation earlier this month.

Basic science is important. Besides, we're going to need a place to stash all our war criminals.

Via Space.com.