Comments on: Human spaceflight: What Value to Science? (Pt. 2) http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/2009/03/human-spaceflight-%e2%80%93-what-value-to-science-part-2/ The Once and Future Moon Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:14:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: SpaceFusionGuild http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/2009/03/human-spaceflight-%e2%80%93-what-value-to-science-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-291 SpaceFusionGuild Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:43:24 +0000 http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/?p=208#comment-291 It seems that this is an interesting debatible topic, but i think it misses a more fundamental point; that is, the rationale for such a large expenditure for purely exploration and increasing human scientific understanding is not a sufficient justification for the proposed endeavor. That being said, the idea of human return to the Moon and to Mars and to the Asteroids can and should be justified by the more important desire/need to expand human presence for the purpose of increasing (existing) wealth, and new wealth (category) creation. It was, i believe, the primary reason for human expansion and exploration in our past, and it will and should continue to drive us in the present and the future. It seems that this is an interesting debatible topic, but i think it misses a more fundamental point; that is, the rationale for such a large expenditure for purely exploration and increasing human scientific understanding is not a sufficient justification for the proposed endeavor. That being said, the idea of human return to the Moon and to Mars and to the Asteroids can and should be justified by the more important desire/need to expand human presence for the purpose of increasing (existing) wealth, and new wealth (category) creation. It was, i believe, the primary reason for human expansion and exploration in our past, and it will and should continue to drive us in the present and the future.

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Spudis http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/2009/03/human-spaceflight-%e2%80%93-what-value-to-science-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-284 Dr. Paul D. Spudis Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:20:43 +0000 http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/?p=208#comment-284 <i>What you really mean is an astronaut geologist and a spectrometer. </i> <p>No, that's not what I really mean and if you had read what I wrote, you would know that sample (and spectra) collection is only the manual labor portion of field science. Most of field science consists of <i>thinking</i>, in the field, where the rocks are. Machines cannot do this now and will not be able to in the near future. Apparently, it's difficult for some people as well. What you really mean is an astronaut geologist and a spectrometer.

No, that’s not what I really mean and if you had read what I wrote, you would know that sample (and spectra) collection is only the manual labor portion of field science. Most of field science consists of thinking, in the field, where the rocks are. Machines cannot do this now and will not be able to in the near future. Apparently, it’s difficult for some people as well.

]]> By: Thomas Lee Elifritz http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/2009/03/human-spaceflight-%e2%80%93-what-value-to-science-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-283 Thomas Lee Elifritz Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:49:38 +0000 http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/?p=208#comment-283 <i>After five years of Mars surface exploration, we do not know things about the field site that a human geologist could determine after an afternoon’s reconnaissance.</i> After a while one gets fatigued at hearing this same myth being repeated over and over again. What you really mean is an astronaut geologist and a spectrometer. What is a spectrometer? It's a machine. So what you are saying is that we need astronauts to prepare the sample for the spectrometer? That could much simpler be done with a robot. <i>A rock is just a rock</i> And as far as I know, a tautology is just a tautology, bereft of information, knowledge or experience. Bravo. After five years of Mars surface exploration, we do not know things about the field site that a human geologist could determine after an afternoon’s reconnaissance.

After a while one gets fatigued at hearing this same myth being repeated over and over again. What you really mean is an astronaut geologist and a spectrometer. What is a spectrometer? It’s a machine. So what you are saying is that we need astronauts to prepare the sample for the spectrometer? That could much simpler be done with a robot.

A rock is just a rock

And as far as I know, a tautology is just a tautology, bereft of information, knowledge or experience. Bravo.

]]>