In sci.physics "Giga" "Giga" just(removetheseandaddmatthe wrote:

I read some where recently that the most powerful super computer in the
world, which presumably fills a large building, has only the power of a
cricket (insect). The delay time to Mars is what 18 minutes x 2, each time
your dumb stupid robot needs some guidance. The oprerator has to rely on the
fairly pathetic information gathering systems of said robot to make
decisions as well. And what about the feel of a place, the atmosphere (pure
materialists will dismiss this as just imagination but I would disagree). In
summary you need people on the spot to properly explore it and preferably a
settlement so they have the time to do it throughly. It would take thousands
of people many years of dedicated work to survey Mars if adequately. It
would take 10,000s of robots centuries I would say, so maybe people would be
cheaper in the long run?

The rather simple robots sent to Mars so far seem to have done much better
than OK in doing what they were supposed to do.

One can safely assume the next generation of robots sent will be much
improved.


--
Jim Pennino

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