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> What is the point of space exploration if humans can't go? I don't know; what is the point of studying quantum mechanics if you can't see it? What is the po

by gumby 3y ago

> What is the point of space exploration if humans can't go? I don't know; what is the point of studying quantum mechanics if you can't see it? What is the point of studying insect embryology when you aren't an insect? I'm pretty fascinated by these 3B+ ly sized megastructures but I won't visit them (to the degree that "visit" would even make sense). Hell, what's the point of studying history when you can't go there either? > > Sounds like the whole approach to the misison profile was flawed > That was not the only experiment on board. If one experiment doesn't work, it makes sense to drop it and continue working on other experiments. If you can make the time to work on the flaw and fix it, great, but you need to keep priorities straight. A couple of replies to this point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39090601 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39090601

rbanffy 3y ago
> I don't know; what is the point of studying quantum mechanics if you can't see it? Those are very different things. QM forms the basis of a lot of our modern technology. The greatest utility of understanding the geology of Mars is to guide possible human visits - and human visits are the best way to get a more complete understanding of an environment. Before the first lunar landings, we didn't even knew how we'd move in low gravity. Before experiencing zero-G, some people assumed we'd be unable to sleep, or very stressed by the free fall sensation. At the moment, we don't know if we can reproduce in any other environment that's not Earth. We don't know how wide a centrifuge needs to be for us to work in artificial gravity. There are many questions we simply don't have answers for unless we venture outside our planetary comfort bubble. We most likely won't be visiting 3B+ ly galactic walls, or even stars outside our immediate vicinity, at least not in the sense of "visit" that implies coming back to Earth, but someday we will want to hedge our planetary bets and settle other surfaces, natural or otherwise. Most humans have the itch to explore, to see what's behind the mountain. It served us well in the past millions of years and I hope it will still work its magic. A future where all humans live on Earth in a universe devoid of human life is depressing to me.
- gumby 3y ago
  > A future where all humans live on Earth in a universe devoid of human life is depressing to me. Well during your lifetime that will be the case, so this is up to our descendants. There's no need for those descendants to be made of meat -- in fact it's a very serious disadvantage

by gumby 3y ago

rbanffy 3y ago

> I don't know; what is the point of studying quantum mechanics if you can't see it? Those are very different things. QM forms the basis of a lot of our modern technology. The greatest utility of understanding the geology of Mars is to guide possible human visits - and human visits are the best way to get a more complete understanding of an environment. Before the first lunar landings, we didn't even knew how we'd move in low gravity. Before experiencing zero-G, some people assumed we'd be unable to sleep, or very stressed by the free fall sensation. At the moment, we don't know if we can reproduce in any other environment that's not Earth. We don't know how wide a centrifuge needs to be for us to work in artificial gravity. There are many questions we simply don't have answers for unless we venture outside our planetary comfort bubble. We most likely won't be visiting 3B+ ly galactic walls, or even stars outside our immediate vicinity, at least not in the sense of "visit" that implies coming back to Earth, but someday we will want to hedge our planetary bets and settle other surfaces, natural or otherwise. Most humans have the itch to explore, to see what's behind the mountain. It served us well in the past millions of years and I hope it will still work its magic. A future where all humans live on Earth in a universe devoid of human life is depressing to me.

gumby 3y ago
> A future where all humans live on Earth in a universe devoid of human life is depressing to me. Well during your lifetime that will be the case, so this is up to our descendants. There's no need for those descendants to be made of meat -- in fact it's a very serious disadvantage