Humans or Robots in Space?

[Augie]

Hi folks,

This poll is being conducted using the Martian standard.

Everyone knows that it is VERY expensive to send humans into space. The lion's share of the money is spent on providing for the safety of the astronauts. The money can be better spent on robotic missions. I feel that we shouldn't be sending humans to Mars (or anywhere else) because of the expense. For the price of one manned mission, we can do numerous unmanned missions.

Any thoughts?

Augie

[Slaine mac Roth]

OK, you get an added safetymargin with the AIs sent but they don't have the instinct and intuition of a human

[Augie]

Hi folks,

Someday, computers/robots may have the instinct and intuition of a human. That will open up entire new frontiers for space exploration. Just think of the possibilities for exploring other solar systems and extrasolar planets (planets in orbit around other stars). Robots will have to "think" in order to do that. Messages from Earth (traveling at the speed of light) would take too long to get to the spacecraft. It would crash into something before the message got there.

A different form of propulsion (like thermonuclear fusion reactors, for example) would speed up the voyage. If only someone (a physicist?) could figure out how to do that without the reactor blowing up in an uncontrolled thermonuclear fusion reaction. BOOM!!!!!

Augie