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3 Comments
kert wrote:
Well, how does exploration alone, without settlement provide human survival ?
Exploration can be done in a couple of ways, nowadays most efficiently with machines. But having flotillas of exploration probes out in the solar system wont help us a wee bit when that Killer Asteroid (TM) eventually comes.
I think its important to stop talking about exploration, as exploration is just a means to an end ( settlement ) and emphasize the end goal instead. If he keeps talking about "exploration", the obvious answer by large part of space community is "okay just send more robots"
From the article, Griffin has actually once said "The single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond.", but his course of action with NASA is basically doing everything to prevent that from happening.
Karl Hallowell wrote:
The thing to remember is that it's NASA's job to explore not colonize space. And while I think NASA leadership should have known better, I don't see the Ares program as a deliberate attempt to thwart space exploration or commercial launch competition.
Edward Wright wrote:
The thing to remember is that it's NASA's job to explore not colonize space.
Why is that something to remember? It isn't even true.
Space settlement has been part of NASA's charter since 1988.
I don't understand why people keep saying "it's not NASA's job" to do anything other than science experiments. What is the source of these statements?
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This page contains a single entry by Rand Simberg published on September 25, 2008 12:20 PM.
Well, how does exploration alone, without settlement provide human survival ?
Exploration can be done in a couple of ways, nowadays most efficiently with machines. But having flotillas of exploration probes out in the solar system wont help us a wee bit when that Killer Asteroid (TM) eventually comes.
I think its important to stop talking about exploration, as exploration is just a means to an end ( settlement ) and emphasize the end goal instead. If he keeps talking about "exploration", the obvious answer by large part of space community is "okay just send more robots"
From the article, Griffin has actually once said "The single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond.", but his course of action with NASA is basically doing everything to prevent that from happening.
The thing to remember is that it's NASA's job to explore not colonize space. And while I think NASA leadership should have known better, I don't see the Ares program as a deliberate attempt to thwart space exploration or commercial launch competition.
The thing to remember is that it's NASA's job to explore not colonize space.
Why is that something to remember? It isn't even true.
Space settlement has been part of NASA's charter since 1988.
I don't understand why people keep saying "it's not NASA's job" to do anything other than science experiments. What is the source of these statements?