[aaronblohowiak]

The flip-flop comes from mainstream media interpretation of the science, usually not from the people that are part of the missions. Even the "science journalists" that are attached to bigger missions frequently dramatize findings in order to "make it a compelling story" (source: one of my exes was such a journalist.)

> either went hugely under-budget on their Mars' missions or they spread themselves too thin

I think that is a misread of the situation; the lack of a consistent narrative and publicity across NASA and its missions has more to do with the organizational structure of the PR and public education/outreach within NASA than the science or the mission management itself.