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hot_pastrami · 01-19-2004, 01:46 PM

Have you ever been to Rome? If not, don't bother. There are plenty of photographs out there, which is just as good as going in person. Right?

Exploration is the search for the unexpected, but robot explorers like the Mars rovers can only effectively deal with the expected. They can't improvise, and they can't observe what they're not designed to be able to observe. Perhaps on the Martian surface there is a voice on the wind yelling "Over here!"occasionally, but if the robot isn't equipped with a microphone, and contantly monitoring it for specific sounds, then no one will know.

I think it's important that we send people to Mars at some point. An educated human with tools is the best Mars rover that NASA could develop. And Mars is the next logical stepping stone in human space exploration... If we don't go to Mars, then we don't go beyond Mars, and we miss out on some damn interesting stuff. Risk? Lots of skilled people will step up eagerly, despite the risk.

Besides, the long-distance space travel technology could save our lives one day. Who knows when an errant meteor may need to be redirected... it is not just the stuff of science fiction, a random meteor could kill everyone. The worst time to stop and think is when Death is a stride behind you.

01-19-2004, 01:46 PM	#2
hot_pastrami I am meaty Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,119	Have you ever been to Rome? If not, don't bother. There are plenty of photographs out there, which is just as good as going in person. Right? Exploration is the search for the unexpected, but robot explorers like the Mars rovers can only effectively deal with the expected. They can't improvise, and they can't observe what they're not designed to be able to observe. Perhaps on the Martian surface there is a voice on the wind yelling "Over here!"occasionally, but if the robot isn't equipped with a microphone, and contantly monitoring it for specific sounds, then no one will know. I think it's important that we send people to Mars at some point. An educated human with tools is the best Mars rover that NASA could develop. And Mars is the next logical stepping stone in human space exploration... If we don't go to Mars, then we don't go beyond Mars, and we miss out on some damn interesting stuff. Risk? Lots of skilled people will step up eagerly, despite the risk. Besides, the long-distance space travel technology could save our lives one day. Who knows when an errant meteor may need to be redirected... it is not just the stuff of science fiction, a random meteor could kill everyone. The worst time to stop and think is when Death is a stride behind you. __________________ Hot Pastrami!