The problem is actually with just the back-up system, but NASA requires an operational main system as well as a redundant back-up before it proceeds with tasks. Everything worked fine on Earth, but hadn't been tested in weightlessness. If only they had spare parts on the station. That's something they're going to have to look into. Though there isn't much in the way of storage space up there, parts can be stored in areas far easier to maintain than living space.
The current NASA experiment is the kind of experiment that goes a long way towards determining the composition of an asteroid or comet. There is a sample return mission currently planned for the near(pun intended) future, but this will provide us with compositional knowledge of an even smaller portion of the destination asteroid.
Our knowledge of interplanetary and planetary objects is so limited, that we need the widest range of experiments possible in order to expand that knowledge base. This experiment fits into the range nicely, being different from anything else we've done. It also, like any good experiment, provides us with information on more than one front, including deflection information and compositional information.
It should also be noted that the change in the body's trajectory, along with the amount of material ejected, should give us a better idea of its mass.
Robotic dinosaurs will be nothing more than a more effective teaching tool than the dusty bones in today's museums.
A.I. is as far off today as it was yesterday, and is nowhere near being a reality. If or when we have to deal with A.I., we'll have a lot more on our hands to deal with than worries about rampaging dinobots.
Robotic lizards are fun, and somewhat irrelevant.
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"Meesa think dis movie stinky."
The problem is actually with just the back-up system, but NASA requires an operational main system as well as a redundant back-up before it proceeds with tasks. Everything worked fine on Earth, but hadn't been tested in weightlessness. If only they had spare parts on the station. That's something they're going to have to look into. Though there isn't much in the way of storage space up there, parts can be stored in areas far easier to maintain than living space.
Our knowledge of interplanetary and planetary objects is so limited, that we need the widest range of experiments possible in order to expand that knowledge base. This experiment fits into the range nicely, being different from anything else we've done. It also, like any good experiment, provides us with information on more than one front, including deflection information and compositional information.
It should also be noted that the change in the body's trajectory, along with the amount of material ejected, should give us a better idea of its mass.
Robotic dinosaurs will be nothing more than a more effective teaching tool than the dusty bones in today's museums. A.I. is as far off today as it was yesterday, and is nowhere near being a reality. If or when we have to deal with A.I., we'll have a lot more on our hands to deal with than worries about rampaging dinobots. Robotic lizards are fun, and somewhat irrelevant.