Comments on: Yes, more humans-vs-robots

By: Donald F. Robertson

Donald F. Robertson — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:05:10 +0000

Jeff, it looks like maybe you’ve got a new business to add to the SpacePolitics empire! It looks like there is a demand for something that appears to be in scarce supply.

— Donald

By: Jeff Foust

Jeff Foust — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:09:18 +0000

Sorry, Dave, I don’t remember her name; she worked at JPL. I didn’t realize readers here were so desperate for a Space Politics Dating Service.

We now return you to your regular-scheduled humans-vs-robots debate, already in progress…

By: sam hoffman

sam hoffman — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:33:37 +0000

Anyone who has ever done any real scientific field work here on Earth (ie, geology, archeology, hydrography, etc.) knows that man-in-the-loop, or even manual, labor is the only way to accomplish any reasonable amount of productivity.

One field geologist with a hammer could learn more on Mars in a day than the rovers can in a year, even as impressive as their performance has been…

Exploring our solar system simply to learn WHAT IS OUT THERE, at eye level, is pure science of the truest kind.

Craters on the Moon.

Mountains on Mars.

Clouds on Venus.

Faults on Mercury.

Caves on Callisto.

Volcanoes on Io.

Ice caps on Europa.

and much, much, more…all that automated flybys, orbiters, and landers can do is suggest what remains to be seen.. to see it requires eyes on the ground.

But we’ll never know until we go.

By: Ferris Valyn

Ferris Valyn — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 05:49:53 +0000

Dave, the problem is that larger agencies having more clout only proves true when each state, and frankly each congressional district, has to have direct, vital role in the agency. This isn’t the case with Nasa.
And there is also the point about what the hell is the agencies purpose – Is it about science, exploration, opening space up, what? The agency has become something of a camel. Case in point – The new CEV stuff vs other/more robotic probes vs spending money on developing cheap orbital access. With the crap budget Nasa has right now, forget about trying to be all things to all people, and ends up not being able to do a damn thing.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:31:59 +0000

An argument for keeping NASA intact is that large agencies tend to have more clout and influence in Congress, making it more likely that the budgets for both manned and unmanned programs will increase.

Now how about that chick, Jeff?

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:17:44 +0000

What I really want to know is... Who is that chick in the front row of the Pluto Fast Flyby photo? She's cute. Jeff, could you help us out here?

By: Ferris Valyn

Ferris Valyn — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:42:59 +0000

Dave, look at my blog, you’ll see how im trying to push it into the maintstream

Donald and Anthony,
As far as breaking Nasa up, frankly, I think thats long over due. Whether it needs to be a full complete break, with different agencies, or clear divisions within the nasa structure, Im not certain, although I would tend towards a clean break, but the concept of nasa as “A space agency” is riduculus. The only comparitable agency is the entireity of the US government

By: Mike Puckett

Mike Puckett — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 01:43:01 +0000

“You fascists are into that ‘knee jerk’ thing, aren’t you.”

You lunatics are into strawman piloted silo based SSTO phantom spaceships aren’t you?

By: Anthony Kendall

Anthony Kendall — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 22:16:58 +0000

Donald,
Quite honestly, I had never really considered the possibility that human exploration bouys the automated robotic exploration part of NASA. I have always just assumed that the reverse is true and that assumption has been supported by the tone of the editorials we’ve seen lately.

I would never support a NASA division if the demise of automated space exploration were the result, nor would I support it if human exploration would markedly suffer. But it seems to me that both would benefit from the divorce.

By: Thomas Lee Elifritz

Thomas Lee Elifritz — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 19:41:28 +0000

You fascists are into that ‘knee jerk’ thing, aren’t you.