Mars, One Explorer, One Way?

[destrekor]

i'm amazed at all of the people that think we've never been to other planets before.

wut

 

[Gibsons]

The shortcoming of robots is they are pretty limited in their abilities, even one human can do many more things than a robot.

If you're just looking at cost effectiveness, robotic probes trump humans by a very large margin. Even a human on a one way mission.

 

[zinfamous]

i'm amazed at all of the people that think we've never been to other planets before.

:hmm:

 

[Gibsons]

i'm amazed at all of the people that think we've never been to other planets before.

 

[DrPizza]

The shortcoming of robots is they are pretty limited in their abilities, even one human can do many more things than a robot.

So, what is it that humans can do that a robot can't be built to do?

 

[Fritzo]

With only two people making children, someone's going to have to screw their brothers/sisters to keep going, and that never turns out good. Everyone on Mars will look like the citizens in Total Recall.

 

[Ika]

So, what is it that humans can do that a robot can't be built to do?

make babies

 

[l0cke]

Why don't we just send all the Lifers on ATOT to mars?

Just don't run the life support system on Fusetalk.

 

[Bateluer]

So, what is it that humans can do that a robot can't be built to do?

Recall when the MROs scratched the dirt to reveal a white substance? There was much debate and discussion about whether or not it was water ice or something else. A human wouldn't need a complicated set of tests and hardware to determine if it was a frozen liquid or a rock. Humans can make judgments, deductions, and think on their feet. Even with the most sophisticated software available and the most expensive, high tech hardware that money can buy, a human can still the do the job better.

All the probes, orbiters, rovers, and landers that have been sent to Mars have had one ultimate goal, to determine what a manned mission would require to be successful. Future probes all expand and augment the capabilities of probes already there and of probes to be launched by other nations.

 

[silverpig]

So, what is it that humans can do that a robot can't be built to do?

Think.

 

[geno]

i'm amazed at all of the people that think we've never been to other planets before.

I'm amazed at this.

 

[Bateluer]

With only two people making children, someone's going to have to screw their brothers/sisters to keep going, and that never turns out good. Everyone on Mars will look like the citizens in Total Recall.

For the last time, they are not there to breed. They are there to lay infrastructure and groundwork, as well as conduct research.

 

[Fritzo]

For the last time, they are not there to breed. They are there to lay infrastructure and groundwork, as well as conduct research.

....c'mon. It'll happen. A little tipsy one night after breaking down some soil samples, one thing leads to another...

 

[DesiPower]

No, two is not enough, time period is too long to risk billions on two ppl, we need atleast 4, preferably all bi.

What would that matter? Guys cannot knock other guys up, just as girls cannot knock other girls up.

Even if they wont be able to breed, which, btw, is not they mail goal, they will still be able to "enjoy" each others company "more".

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Even if they wont be able to breed, which, btw, is not they mail goal, they will still be able to "enjoy" each others company "more".

Why would that matter? If you're purely looking at the sexual needs of them, then having all bi people offers no benefits over having straight (or gay for that matter) male/female teams.

FWIW I like your idea from a pure thought experiment, but in reality it does not matter if they are all bi or all straight/gay. I am sure I'll get flammed for saying this, but as long as they are all bi or all straight/gay that's what matters from sexual needs stance. The issue with mixing sexualities is that it can create unneeded stress and conflict in an already stressful situation.

 

[Gibsons]

Recall when the MROs scratched the dirt to reveal a white substance? There was much debate and discussion about whether or not it was water ice or something else. A human wouldn't need a complicated set of tests and hardware to determine if it was a frozen liquid or a rock. Humans can make judgments, deductions, and think on their feet. Even with the most sophisticated software available and the most expensive, high tech hardware that money can buy, a human can still the do the job better.

All the probes, orbiters, rovers, and landers that have been sent to Mars have had one ultimate goal, to determine what a manned mission would require to be successful. Future probes all expand and augment the capabilities of probes already there and of probes to be launched by other nations.

It's cheaper, by a large degree, to just send another probe specifically to investigate the white stuff. And another to investigate whatever unusual thing turns up next. And it's not a terrible tragedy if a micrometeorite takes it out on the way there.

You get, I dunno, maybe one hundred or more missions doing things like this for one human mission.

 

[DesiPower]

Why would that matter? If you're purely looking at the sexual needs of them, then having all bi people offers no benefits over having straight (or gay for that matter) male/female teams.

FWIW I like your idea from a pure thought experiment, but in reality it does not matter if they are all bi or all straight/gay. I am sure I'll get flammed for saying this, but as long as they are all bi or all straight/gay that's what matters from sexual needs stance. The issue with mixing sexualities is that it can create unneeded stress and conflict in an already stressful situation.

well... back to my original point, why are you sending a male and a female team? instead of two female or two male? for the sexual reason right?. Now the journey is loooong, something can happen to someone, so, then one will be left alone. Therefore, send 4, 2 M and 2 F, but them what happens if one of them die? IMHO they will be better off if they all were bi
/troll

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

well... back to my original point, why are you sending a male and a female team? instead of two female or two male? for the sexual reason right?. Now the journey is loooong, something can happen to someone, so, then one will be left alone. Therefore, send 4, 2 M and 2 F, but them what happens if one of them die? IMHO they will be better off if they all were bi
/troll

Why not send all gay/lesbian then?

 

[DrPizza]

Recall when the MROs scratched the dirt to reveal a white substance? There was much debate and discussion about whether or not it was water ice or something else. A human wouldn't need a complicated set of tests and hardware to determine if it was a frozen liquid or a rock. Humans can make judgments, deductions, and think on their feet. Even with the most sophisticated software available and the most expensive, high tech hardware that money can buy, a human can still the do the job better.

All the probes, orbiters, rovers, and landers that have been sent to Mars have had one ultimate goal, to determine what a manned mission would require to be successful. Future probes all expand and augment the capabilities of probes already there and of probes to be launched by other nations.

The robots aren't doing this completely independently. If you were there, how are you going to determine if it's frozen liquid or a rock? You have visual information, ditto the guys sitting on earth looking at the images. What instrument are you going to use? Or, are you just going to take it indoors to your habitat & see if it melts?

But you're right - humans can make judgments, deductions, and think on their feet. God forbid something happens up there - Marvin Martian jumps out behind a rock pointing his Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator at the robot - and it takes a whole 8 minutes for the signal to get to Earth for a human to make judgments, deductions, and think & then the robot gets a set of instructions another 8 minutes later.

But again, what are the humans going to do up there? What are they going to actually accomplish that a robot can't for a fraction of the cost? Anything relying on our eyes can be accomplished with a rover and a few sets of eyes back here on Earth. Especially when instruments are required such as a microscope.

 

[lizardth]

There was a Doctor Who special about this!!! Just don't drink the water!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waters_of_Mars

 

[sourceninja]

Step one is to build a colony on the moon and use it as a launching point.

 

[DesiPower]

Why not send all gay/lesbian then?

It would be same as sending heteros, you juts don't get it do you?

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

It would be same as sending heteros, you juts don't get it do you?

Uh, is my sarcasm meter broken?

You say "lets send all bi people so they can all bang one another in case people die." So, how exactly would an all gay, or all lesbian expedition be any different?

 

[Ruptga]

It's only because of leaps forward in automation that robots on Mars are useful at all. The it takes 24 minutes for someone on earth to see what the bot sees, tell it to do something about it, and see what happens. I mean imagine if your PC were like that; 24 minutes between loading a page, logging in, and seeing your bank statement. Productivity is incredibly low unless tasks are simple enough to be automated. At some point we'll want to move beyond testing rocks and driving from one crater to another and the complexity of tasks will move beyond what can be automated efficiently.

Also, robots are very purpose-built, which makes them very cost effective for what they do. But, if you want to do 20 different things, you send about 10 different robots, and that takes time. If you really want results quickly, robots aren't the way to go.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Imagine being the only person in the history of man kind to ever set foot on another planet or to at least lay eyes upon it up close. To know you may very well be the first AND last. I think it would be an amazing experience, one way or not.

True, but after you get over all that, you're alone on a red rock. Nothing to see there, you see one square foot of Mars, you've seen the whole thing.