Hacker News Reader

Comment by SapporoChris | Hacker News Reader

Fool, do not throw your life away. There is no nobility in doing what can be accomplished without risk to human life. Robotics vs Human exploration: Robotics win. Full stop. Anything a human can do in space or on another planet, a robot can do, only cheaper and without the risk of losing a life.

View on HN

This is why no one has scaled the peak of Everest or stood on the South Pole. It's also why we still do bloodletting and watch our friends and relatives die from common diseases and infections.

I for one want to soar to the heavens and experience it first hand, not vicariously through staring at a screen full of numbers. Exploration is a human experience, not just a way to get grant money to invest for retirement.

Nobody scaled Everest until they were confident they could get back down. The same for the south pole (although that didn't turn out as well as Everest).

Why do you assume that this is about "nobility"? I would guess it's just to satisfy a personal curiosity. A feeling I totally share.

There's a difference between watching a livestream and actually being there, just as there's a difference between seeing a picture of $COUNTRY vs. actually visiting

Okay, sure, curiosity. You want to sacrifice your life (a life) for curiosity, when robotics can fulfill the need without loss of life. Oh, a personal experience, that will justify the loss of life?

Every life is lost eventually, all we have along the way is personal experiences.

There's also a huge difference from just seeing a shuttle take off on TV vs in real life from relatively close... Can't even imagine being in it.

Nothing noble really, just a personal dream. Lots of people have faced certain death for less. Going out on one's own terms, to fulfill a dream, is probably the best way to go.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com