Michael Huang tries to smooth over ruffled feathers in the Human vs. Robot space exploration debate by playing the colonization card. I vote humans. Nevertheless, there can be self-replicating nanobots or, before those develop, self replicating macrobots. If we are too busy or craven to leave the planet, then maybe we can settle the universe with 'Cylons' (the future human-created silicon cum wetware nemesis race from TV show Battlestar Galactica).

Come to think of it, DNA makes us digital life. An argument for Intelligent Design is that if you were trying to colonize a new world like Earth, you would probably arrive at something very much like life as we know it. Genetic algorithms work pretty well at solving ecological problems. Are we some other race's expendable robot explorers?

It has been several years since I attended a Nano-Tech conference of any sort. However, I still recall a discussion about sending engineered DNA to an astroid. The DNA would be designed to build amino acids to utilize what minerals were known to exist on the astroid. Eventually, a "nervous" system will be built at the Nano level, which would provide the scientific analysis for the mission.

The overall concept, why build large robots and even larger rockets to send them somewhere? Why, when we could just send some DNA, with a small starter kit, and have it build the robot insitu?

The guy leading the discussion was from the NRO.

I doubt we are.

Because what good is a robot explorer that never reports back any data?

Because what good is a robot explorer that never reports back any data?

We've sent out Voyager probes, we're pumping radio waves off of this rock, and have been for many years.

If anyone's listening, we're certainly reporting information, even if we're not aware that we're doing it for someone else, or that we're supposed to be reporting on anything in particular.

I agree with John. Another possibility here is that the aliens will come by and see what we pulled up. Consider this scenario. Create complex life on Earth. Sleep (say inside the Moon) until your automated sensors detect signs of intelligence. Steer the developing civilization to start an exploration program for you. Humans do the work. Reap fruits of success.

"Because what good is a robot explorer that never reports back any data?"

What do you think those plaques on Pioneer 10 and 11 were? Mission accomplished.

(Well, those and I Love Lucy broadcasts...)

If we had semi-magical self-replic-ating nano-robo-hoozits, the economy would be so productive that you or I could afford to start our own space colonies. So it's not like it would be some sort of exclusive-or situation.

Waiting for intelligent life to evolve could (literally) take forever. There's no particular reason I've ever heard of why intelligence evolved over the past 10 million years, rather than at any point for the past several hundred million: just a random thing, I guess. It's hard for me to imagine an intelligent race quite so patient (not to say, lazy) as all that.

I guess. It's hard for me to imagine an intelligent race quite so patient (not to say, lazy) as all that.

You send out seeder ships. Start on a Grand Tour of the galaxy. Stop off at likely worlds for inspection tours. Spend most of your time near light speed .... time flies when you are having fun at 9/10 the speed of light.

Can you imagine them building machines without an off switch? I can see a small family of beings thinking SOL is quite the garden spot and flipping the switch! ...as part of the OK2Home ...ah... land rush. Good thing none of them have gotten here sooner!

"It's hard for me to imagine an intelligent race quite so patient (not to say, lazy) as all that."

Or just cheap or craven like ours. Send out the robots, then tune in what's new on TV. Or send out the blue green algae and wait a few hundred million years for a phone call.

"If we had semi-magical self-replic-ating nano-robo-hoozits, the economy would be so productive that you or I could afford to start our own space colonies. So it's not like it would be some sort of exclusive-or situation."

Not if they were patented and were controlled by a tyrant, or worse, revolted and went into business for themselves like the Cylons. Good news for us though--we self-replic-ate magically and have an economy where at least some of us can afford our own space colonies (Elon Musk comes to mind). After five hundred years of growth at 2-3%, most of us will.

I hate to think about the 'intelligence' that designed a system that is so prone to failure and functional in such a limited set of cirucmstances as we are. Granted, we can survive on most parts of the surface but how about deep water? They left 70% of the planet unmonitored.

Yes, Dean, we aliens have no facilities in deep water... wink, wink...