On CBS MoneyWatch: Dumbest Things You Do With Money
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 10 of 40:
Next »
« Previous
I agree on several point
but there's one angle you may be missing, but let's start with the good. I agree that private industry should be handed the baton when it comes to manned space flight, at least when we are talking about the wonder of space and man's natural instinct to explore. I agree that NASA would be better off in the long run to get their work done via unmanned missions. Tons of money would be saved in the long run.

But the reason we send men into space is because right now man is the best all-purpose tool we have in spaceflight. They make better decisions than computers (obviously the speed of light would make impossible decisions that need to be made on the spot), and can fix more broken systems than a robot. Now could we make better computers and better robots to fix that problem? I'm sure we could, but what taxpayer is going to want to fund the creation of something that will eventually make him obsolete? Because as you say, these space projects have a way of making their way into the rea world.
Posted by: Michael Kelly   Posted on: 09/01/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
Reply to Story Reply to Message

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

Hand in your geek card...  jcg_z | 09/01/06
About Robots.  slopoke | 09/01/06
The Speed of light...  jcg_z | 09/01/06
Light speed issues.  slopoke | 09/01/06
To quote Gilda  slopoke | 09/01/06
I'm not so sure...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 09/01/06
A piece of the puzzle...  jcg_z | 09/01/06
what Apollo was really about.... and why we need something like it again  jlafitte | 09/05/06
Not sure I agree...  jcg_z | 09/05/06
I agree on several point  Michael Kelly | 09/01/06
The reason we send men into space...  jcg_z | 09/01/06
Granted  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 09/01/06
Because of the risk...  jcg_z | 09/01/06
It's also because men need to go into space  voska | 09/05/06
Re:  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 09/01/06
No acceptable risk.  dave.leigh@... | 09/01/06
Have to disagree John...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/01/06
From God To NASA  P. Douglas | 09/01/06
Nasa back to God  seosamh_z | 09/02/06
Why I take the route I take  P. Douglas | 09/02/06
Why I take the route I take - 2nd try  P. Douglas | 09/02/06
This is an abomination.  jsaltz | 09/02/06
Don't go there  Roger Ramjet | 09/06/06
Enlightenment....  jcg_z | 09/03/06
Re: Enlightenment....  P. Douglas | 09/03/06
God or Science?  Roger Ramjet | 09/05/06
Re: God or Science?  P. Douglas | 09/05/06
Mind Pollution  Roger Ramjet | 09/06/06
Re: Mind Pollution  P. Douglas | 09/06/06
Purity of Essense (POE)  Roger Ramjet | 09/07/06
Re: Purity of Essense (POE)  P. Douglas | 09/07/06
Re (Part deux:) Enlightenment....  P. Douglas | 09/03/06
Working intelligence?  Roger Ramjet | 09/06/06
Not quite  seosamh_z | 09/06/06
Re: Working intelligence?  P. Douglas | 09/06/06
Evilution?  Roger Ramjet | 09/07/06
Re: Evilution?  P. Douglas | 09/07/06
It worked for DARPA...  jlafitte | 09/05/06
NASA needs astronauts  jlafitte | 09/05/06
Hey coon  NetArch. | 09/05/06

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

Meet Doc

  • Here to help you with your Document Management Needs
  • Doc is an enigma. Born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer, he grew up in various locations in the United States. He’s seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone.
  • To learn more about this mysterious figure check out his blog on ZDNet and his Workspace on TechRepublic. You’ll be glad you did.
  • Produced by
    ZDNet and