Nasa scraps James Cameron's 3D glasses to view Mars voyage plan

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• Nasa bosses had second thoughts after learning of the filmmaker's habit of going massively over-budget
  

Axed: Nasa has scrapped plans to mount two of film director James Cameron's hi-tech 3D cameras on its latest Mars roverAs the creator of blockbusters such as The Terminator, Titanic and Avatar, film director James Cameron is renowned for taking viewers on fantastic journeys of discovery.But it appears the Oscar winner's latest project is one giant leap too far.Nasa has scrapped plans to mount two of Mr Cameron's hi-tech 3D cameras on its latest Mars rover, a robot designed to drive over the surface of the planet.
Reports suggest that the U.S. space agency's chiefs started having second thoughts about the project after learning of the director's reputation for going massively over-budget and behind schedule.They claimed they were insufficiently confident that the cameras would be operational by the time the mission launches later this year, according to The Independent.
Mr Cameron launched the project several years ago with a technology firm based in San Diego. In 2007, they scaled back his input amid spiralling costs and a delayed schedule but he was invited to rejoin the team again last April.3D lenses would have extended from the buggy-sized spacecraft when it touched down in 2012.The special camera would have enabled viewers with 3D glasses to see cinema-quality footage of the Red Planet when the rover, Curiosity, touches down.It was said that the public would have been able to connect with the space mission in a much more intimate and exciting way than ever before.

Surface robot: A six-wheeled Mars rover similar to Curiosity, which will now include regular cameras when it touches down on the Red Planet in 2012Now enthusiast! s will o nly be able to view the planet from fixed-lens cameras, resulting in an arguably much less exciting viewing experience.

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'While Curiosity won't benefit from the 3D motion imaging that the zooms enable, I'm certain that this technology will play an important role in future missions', Mr Cameron said in a statement on his website.The agency has already spent 1.6billion on the project to land the craft on Mars but is under pressure to cut spending. Further risks with added gadgets may have added to the overall cost of the project.

Blockbuster: Mr Cameron directed Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, which went 66 per cent over budget and cost $200million

History of over-spending: Mr Cameron's most recent hit, Avatar, cost $237million and finished 48 per cent over budgetThe mission with the six-wheeled rover aims to see whether the planet can support life and whether other life forms have existed there.Curiosity will carry high-tech meteorological devices to monitor weather conditions and lasers to study the atomic structure of rocks.The craft is scheduled to return to Earth in 2014 with the selection of rocks for scientists to carry out further studies on.John Grotzinger, a lead scientist on the Curiosity team, said: 'The possibility for a zoom-camera upgrade was very much worth pursuing, but time became too short for the levels of testing that would be needed for them to confidently replace the existing cameras.'