Dispelling the myth of robotic efficiency: why human space exploration will tell us more about the Solar System than will robotic exploration alone

Details Dispelling the myth of robotic efficiency: why human space exploration will tell us more about the Solar System than will robotic exploration alone Dispelling the myth of robotic efficiency: why human space exploration will tell us more about the Solar System than will robotic exploration alone

2012-03-28

arxiv.org/abs/1203.6250v1

Astronomy and Geophysics, Vol. 53, pp. 2.22-2.26, 2012

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

12 pages; 5 figures. Published, with minor modifications, in Astronomy and Geophysics, Vol. 53, pp. 2.22-2.26, 2012

Scientific paper

There is a widely held view in the astronomical community that unmanned robotic space vehicles are, and will always be, more efficient explorers of planetary surfaces than astronauts (e.g. Coates, 2001; Clements 2009; Rees 2011). Partly this is due to a common assumption that robotic exploration is cheaper than human exploration (although, as we shall see, this isn't necessarily true if like is compared with like), and partly from the expectation that continued developments in technology will relentlessly increase the capability, and reduce the size and cost, of robotic missions to the point that human exploration will not be able to compete. I will argue below that the experience of human exploration during the Apollo missions, more recent field analogue studies, and trends in robotic space exploration actually all point to exactly the opposite conclusion.

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