[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
But surely it would be more efficient to actually have reasearchers and/or
technician astronauts on site, rather than working through robotic probes
that are hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
No, it is horribly less efficient. People weigh to much require too much life
support (think about how inefficient we are at using fuel for our bodies
compared to a machine) and have to be brought back. The costs of turning
around are astronomical. The only way to succeed is to get fuel or materials
where you are going but we have no guarentees that we will be able to
fabricate anything useful on mars. Now after our robots have gone out for a
while maybe we can build devices on planets that can manufactor stuff for the
home trip but until then it is a no go. I have read estimates that it
requires thousands of times the fuel for a manned mission as opposed to an
unmanned mission.
