The hot ticket item for this weeks research blog is wither it is more beneficial for a manned system to explore the depths of space or are unmanned systems more adapt to the challenges of space exploration? For this review I am taking a look at two different articles, both hit certain points of the positive and the negative of the use of manned and unmanned systems while exploring space. Neither of these articles will take a certain side of which one is better or should be used above the other and that is the stance that I will explain that I hold on this debate.
The first article comes from the University of Central Florida's magazine PEGASUS. Within it two stances are made for manned systems and against manned systems. Joshua Colwell Ph.D gives a more humanistic approach to why manned systems should be given presidency over unmanned systems. He states "The manned exploration of space is an expression of one of our finest aspects — curiosity. To truly satisfy that curiosity we need to be participants...While valuable advances have been made because of the manned program, it cannot and should not be justified on the grounds of scientific advancement. It is instead about something equally important as science — the inspiration of our species to pursue lofty goals." (Colwell & Britt, 2014) Dr. Colwell's stance on this is important to note that we as humans need to have that participation in the continuing exploration of space. That "hands on approach" that sparks our imagination and furthers our drive to continue and invent. Dr. Colwells colleague Daniel Britt argues for the use of unmanned systems while exploring space. "For crewed spacecraft, Venus and Mercury are impossibly hot, and the asteroid belt and Jupiter are impossibly cold. The longer travel times to these worlds would be a death sentence from radiation exposure, not to mention bone loss and muscle atrophy." (Colwell & Britt, 2014). Dr. Britt's argument to use unmanned systems to explore space is not entirely to say that humans should no longer be apart of the exploration of space, but at the time being and technology being as it is for the time and needs that manned systems would need to explore the vastness of space. Unmanned systems are a precursor to help pave the way for safe passage by manned systems to advance in technology that would help to lessen the time for travel and to advance protection against debris and radiation that would be harmful to human travelers. Both writers in this article agree that at the moment unmanned systems are the most cost effective for space exploration, yet both do believe that manned and unmanned systems should work together in exploration. "that each endeavor ultimately strengthens the other." (Colwell & Britt, 2014).
The second article comes from Mary Wood at the Prezi website creating a compare and contrast of the costs and benefits between manned and unmanned spaceflight. Throughout her presentation the author describes the different strengths and weaknesses of manned and unmanned spaceflight in the following categories: cost, safety, and "WOW" factor. Her first category identifies the costs between manned and unmanned with unmanned coming out the winner of the two as it relates to costs. Her example looks at the Space Shuttle Endevour which was estimated to cost $206 billion. Compared to the unmanned systems such as the Messenger, Gailieo, New Horizons, and the Hubble have altogether come out to around $10.56 billion to build and maintain. This category is easy to see how unmanned is the more efficient outcome for cost analysis. The next category of safety can be correlated back to the first article where manned systems have a higher risk involved, not only with the radiation and loss of bone and muscle mass on the human but also from the initial launch of the spacecraft. "14 lives have been lost during the shuttle program, and 18 lives in total have been lost in Space. Two shuttles (Challenger, Columbia) have undergone disasters and were not fully recovered." (Wood 2016). The loss of an unmanned system though expensive, it can not begin to compare to the loss of human life. The winner for this category of safety is unmanned systems, since a robot can always be rebuilt. The final category is the "WOW" factor that Wood mentions. The wow factor is the humanistic side of space exploration. Unmanned systems can indeed give us a clear view and picture of what space looks like. Without that hands on experience it means little to nothing in the great scheme of our minds and imagination.
In the end what is the stance that I take on unmanned systems over manned systems? The factors weighing against manned systems seem to be substantial than unmanned systems, making unmanned systems seem as though the likely candidate to continue pressing with and leaving manned system exploration as a subtle dream of space travelers long past. This though is not the case. I see both these systems as working together to further our reaches out into the vastness of space. Unmanned systems will help to pave the way for manned systems. Unmanned systems would be able to safely transport supplies and help set up environments on other worlds to help manned systems to reach these worlds and be sufficient when humans colonize other worlds. Though still a few years out the synergy needed to reach Mars or other worlds between manned and unmanned systems is needed and still highly advisable to pursue.
References:
Colwell, J., & Britt, D. (2014). Are robots or astronauts the future of space exploration? PEGASUS. Retrieved from http://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/opinion/
Wood, M. (2016, July 11). The costs and benefits of manned and unmanned Spaceflight. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from Prezi, https://prezi.com/u7ncq8jz4s8e/the-costs-and-benefits-of-manned-and-unmanned-spaceflight/
The first article comes from the University of Central Florida's magazine PEGASUS. Within it two stances are made for manned systems and against manned systems. Joshua Colwell Ph.D gives a more humanistic approach to why manned systems should be given presidency over unmanned systems. He states "The manned exploration of space is an expression of one of our finest aspects — curiosity. To truly satisfy that curiosity we need to be participants...While valuable advances have been made because of the manned program, it cannot and should not be justified on the grounds of scientific advancement. It is instead about something equally important as science — the inspiration of our species to pursue lofty goals." (Colwell & Britt, 2014) Dr. Colwell's stance on this is important to note that we as humans need to have that participation in the continuing exploration of space. That "hands on approach" that sparks our imagination and furthers our drive to continue and invent. Dr. Colwells colleague Daniel Britt argues for the use of unmanned systems while exploring space. "For crewed spacecraft, Venus and Mercury are impossibly hot, and the asteroid belt and Jupiter are impossibly cold. The longer travel times to these worlds would be a death sentence from radiation exposure, not to mention bone loss and muscle atrophy." (Colwell & Britt, 2014). Dr. Britt's argument to use unmanned systems to explore space is not entirely to say that humans should no longer be apart of the exploration of space, but at the time being and technology being as it is for the time and needs that manned systems would need to explore the vastness of space. Unmanned systems are a precursor to help pave the way for safe passage by manned systems to advance in technology that would help to lessen the time for travel and to advance protection against debris and radiation that would be harmful to human travelers. Both writers in this article agree that at the moment unmanned systems are the most cost effective for space exploration, yet both do believe that manned and unmanned systems should work together in exploration. "that each endeavor ultimately strengthens the other." (Colwell & Britt, 2014).
The second article comes from Mary Wood at the Prezi website creating a compare and contrast of the costs and benefits between manned and unmanned spaceflight. Throughout her presentation the author describes the different strengths and weaknesses of manned and unmanned spaceflight in the following categories: cost, safety, and "WOW" factor. Her first category identifies the costs between manned and unmanned with unmanned coming out the winner of the two as it relates to costs. Her example looks at the Space Shuttle Endevour which was estimated to cost $206 billion. Compared to the unmanned systems such as the Messenger, Gailieo, New Horizons, and the Hubble have altogether come out to around $10.56 billion to build and maintain. This category is easy to see how unmanned is the more efficient outcome for cost analysis. The next category of safety can be correlated back to the first article where manned systems have a higher risk involved, not only with the radiation and loss of bone and muscle mass on the human but also from the initial launch of the spacecraft. "14 lives have been lost during the shuttle program, and 18 lives in total have been lost in Space. Two shuttles (Challenger, Columbia) have undergone disasters and were not fully recovered." (Wood 2016). The loss of an unmanned system though expensive, it can not begin to compare to the loss of human life. The winner for this category of safety is unmanned systems, since a robot can always be rebuilt. The final category is the "WOW" factor that Wood mentions. The wow factor is the humanistic side of space exploration. Unmanned systems can indeed give us a clear view and picture of what space looks like. Without that hands on experience it means little to nothing in the great scheme of our minds and imagination.
In the end what is the stance that I take on unmanned systems over manned systems? The factors weighing against manned systems seem to be substantial than unmanned systems, making unmanned systems seem as though the likely candidate to continue pressing with and leaving manned system exploration as a subtle dream of space travelers long past. This though is not the case. I see both these systems as working together to further our reaches out into the vastness of space. Unmanned systems will help to pave the way for manned systems. Unmanned systems would be able to safely transport supplies and help set up environments on other worlds to help manned systems to reach these worlds and be sufficient when humans colonize other worlds. Though still a few years out the synergy needed to reach Mars or other worlds between manned and unmanned systems is needed and still highly advisable to pursue.
References:
Colwell, J., & Britt, D. (2014). Are robots or astronauts the future of space exploration? PEGASUS. Retrieved from http://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/opinion/
Wood, M. (2016, July 11). The costs and benefits of manned and unmanned Spaceflight. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from Prezi, https://prezi.com/u7ncq8jz4s8e/the-costs-and-benefits-of-manned-and-unmanned-spaceflight/
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