Skip to main content

Sky Talk: Why We Don't Need Humans in Space: A Robotic Tour of the Solar System

Date:
-
Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):
Prof. Tom Troland

Abstract: Remotely controlled spacecraft have sent stunning images back to Earth from all over the Solar System. All without the bother of on-board humans, life support systems, and fear of the loss of human life. In fact, human beings are about the last thing you want in a spacecraft if the true purpose is scientific discovery as opposed to glitzy space adventure. So let's see what the planets of the Solar System look like, up close and personal, in many cases, right from the surface of the planet; just what a human would see if he or she were there. This, without the enormous expense and risk of sending them there. Now that's a real bargain!