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Right up until something goes wrong that requires an adjustment the automation wasn't designed to make.
by waterlesscloud 13y ago
Right up until something goes wrong that requires an adjustment the automation wasn't designed to make.
- acqq 13y agoVoyager 1, launched 1977, never reachable to humans, still sends us the data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1
- waterlesscloud 13y agoAnd dozens of probes lost because they couldn't adapt to small unforeseen problems.
- tptacek 13y agoSo? They're machines. We just make more of them. Lots more, if we can recover the funds we waste on manned stunt trips to orbit.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- waterlesscloud 13y agoWhich doesn't change the fact that a human overseeing an experiment can do a better job than a machine, and could cause the experiment to not be lost in the first place. Due to the versatility and adaptability of humans.
- tptacek 13y agoNo, but it does change the fact that humans are likely to lose their lives in the pursuit of the experiment. Losing a machine is merely an inconvenience.
- waterlesscloud 13y agoWell, now we're in agreement on something humans can do better than machines in space.
- tptacek 13y agoWhat, die?
- gus_massa 13y agoIn case they have all the tools, spare pieces and the knowledge to debug and fix the machine. And in case that the fixed machine is safe, for example if you forget to put a bolt and now the system is not tight and some of the fumes escape, or it begins to spin or make vibrations. There are a lot of possible problems, and having the middle of the space with no escape pod is a bad place to try to be creative.