Re:Moon Is Stepping Stone, Not Alternative to Mars, NASA Chi...
by Kim_Bruning on Friday September 28, 2018 @04:31PM
(#18096799)
Human beings with their millennia of evolution still have quite the edge over any robot ;)
But launching a human is still more expensive than launching several robots.
Right now, launching humans is getting cheaper every year.
Space missions are projected to become more profitable over time as people start space mining and later space fabrication.
So I agree with you that launching robots right now has a higher ROI than launching robots.
I think we also agree there's a crossover point.
Where I think we disagree on is when that crossover point might. You say 100 years; I think with current trends it could be under 50 years, maybe under 25 years.
Why do you think it'll take 100 years to hit crossover?
But launching a human is still more expensive than launching several robots.
Right now, launching humans is getting cheaper every year. Space missions are projected to become more profitable over time as people start space mining and later space fabrication.
So I agree with you that launching robots right now has a higher ROI than launching robots.
I think we also agree there's a crossover point.
Where I think we disagree on is when that crossover point might. You say 100 years; I think with current trends it could be under 50 years, maybe under 25 years.
Why do you think it'll take 100 years to hit crossover?