A
anthmartian
Guest
Andrew : That was the truly great thing about the Voyager encounters. They really did give us a whole new solar system. <br /><br />Just as you say, Jupiter and Saturn became whole solar systems in themselves to be explored. Uranus ( Miranda is a world i would like to see a lot more of ), Neptune and Triton too are fascinating places to explore, and should be looked at again soon.<br /><br />With all these amazing places to visit, I ask the question, is there more to be learned from a near future intense exploration of the solar system via robotic probes, than spending probably thousands of billions on manned exploration, or the planning and development for manned space exploration? I know humans on Mars could get through what the Mars Rovers have got through in 3 years, in a single day of working on the red planet ( if they are alive that is! ) . <br /><br />But, look at the cost, and risk. I'm sure if you threw even half the budget of the first manned mission to Mars at a comprehensive robotic Mars program we would have nearly all the answers we want.<br /><br />I know this is a whole other subject in itself. I just seems appropriate here though to bring it up initially. maybe it could be discussed further in another topic?<br /><br />and Andrew, thanks again for your kind words about the images and web site. It makes it a truly rewarding pass time to know they are enjoyed and appreciated. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />P.S, waiting for your image to be approved. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em>"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"</em></font></p><p><font color="#33cccc"><strong>Han Solo - 1977 - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....</strong></font></p><p><br /><br />Click Here And jump over to my site.<br /></p> </div>