[cheerfulgreek]

I don't really think we need manned space exploration, anymore. I mean, where can they go? Nowhere except right here. I don't mean that as a put down but I think NASA should rely more on unmanned spacecraft. They can explore what human beings can't by sending the images back to us so we can see what's out there. I can use Saturn as an example. We've seen a lot on that planet from the unmanned spacecraft that we've sent up there, like the geometric form over Saturn's north pole. We would've been clueless of what that was without them. That geometric shape is still there over 30 years after the first time we explored it. Come to find out, it's very similar to our own polar vortex, the only difference is Saturn's can fit four Earth's inside of it. What's interesting is now that we're going to other planets, is that in some ways, the moons are where the action is. We've already explored Titan and we've learned that it has an extended atmosphere and kinda like a watery based surface. Plus, its atmosphere is made up of Nitrogen and Methane, the same gasses that made up much of Earth's early atmosphere. That's just completely intriguing to me. I can't wait until we explore Enseladus because it might have water on it. If it does, I'd like to see something swim up and lick the camera.

We can't do any of this with manned aircraft, at least not in this lifetime.

Daemon, thanks for posting this.