In news:1142428000.906632.37910@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com,
ianparker2@gmail.com <ianparker2@gmail.com> typed:

We have the technology - so why aren't the current generation of
children encouraged to go lunar lander surfing via the Internet,
controlling

Actually I was listening to a Nasa podcast last night and one point they
mentioned is it's actually quite difficult to use conventional consumer
computer chips in space because of the radiation issue. So I guess this
explains why the technology they can send into space which has to have
special circuits (I dare say they may even use valves) is actually quite
primitive and large, when compared to consumer electronics on earth. Like we
are talking less than 1/5th the power of the average home computer which
these days would mean most of the computers Nasa have been able to send into
space are at best no more powerful than a Pentium 1 or 2 and even then we
are taking multi-processor units. The other problem they mentioned was
bandwidth apparently many of the computers they have in space have no more
available communication bandwidth than a relatively primitive dial-up modem,
so faster processors have not been a priority

Actually though the commentator said NASA are working on ways of adapting
consumer market chips for use in space particularly for less essential
applications, (obviously they couldn't use them for things like navigation
at this stage). But if they can find ways of adapting these chips for Space
it should improve the speed of the computers they can send up by a factor of
5 and cut costs enormously because they could use relatively inexpensive
consumer chips that are considerably more powerful than anything NASA can at
present send into space.

So I guess this explains why there aren't millions of little robo-cams
walking about the moon, since a 2 ghtz computer that would work on the moon
would have to be quite large and heavy

a robotic camera on the moon? To get them interested in science and
technology, so that their generation can land on Mars within their
generation?

I think it shows more - that the Moon is offlimits to humans (for
whatever reason, mainly one of conspiracy - to keep humans grounded
here) and that NASA is being very very slow towards any advances in
space travel, etc. etc. It's almost as if NASA's mission is slow
mankind's advances into
space travel and associated technology.
And that the Apollo moon landings were just a one-off never to
happen again...

I agree that NASA is slowing down space exploration but not for the
resons you suggest. I do not believe there is a great conspiracy,
simply that NASA scientists and engineers are not really competent.

Up to a point that's probably true. We are talking cutting edge new
technology and most scientists and engineers are not of that calibre and if
they are, are probably working in the private sector. Though in all fairness
there are radiation issues in space so I dare say NASA scientists are doing
their best to overcome those issues

The key enabling technology for large scale space exploration is the
Von Neumann machine, the self replicating robotic system. Not ISS, not
manned luinar landings. Any set of half cometant scientists keen on
grandiose space projects would be developing such a machine as the No
1 priority.

Well one would think as home consumer electronics are continually increasing
in power and shrinking in size the more inches of Lead one could conceivably
wrap them in in order to adapt them for space whilst keeping the size and
weight feasible for launching :)
-- 
Amanda