Roving about the Red Planet
By Charles W. Petit
Posted 9/5/04
Page 3 of 3
Experts continue to debate whether it makes sense to explore other planets with robots or people, but here the experts are in consensus. "Robots are impressive," Bethany Ehlmann, of Washington University, says, "but really, science has a much bigger payoff with people." Squyres says simply: "Not for a very long time will robots do what humans do. I can't imagine robots running a deep drilling operation on Mars."
In a weekend a human geologist could do what either of the rovers has done in half a year. "What we're learning with robots is just laying the groundwork," he says. "And when the scientists get there, they'll have a much better idea what to do."
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