Have you ever noticed that when you watch a football game on TV it is literally better than being there? I mean, you can see every play perfectly all the large screen flat-panel display. It may not be as exciting and your seats at home may not be as sticky, but the view is great in high-definition, surround a sound and full-color. Additionally you can watch the instant replays.
Now consider the advantages of sending robotic artificial intelligence androids and rovers to do our planetary exploration and send us back full video feed. We can then take these videos and put them up onto IMAX or holographically display them in your living room via the latest technologies of Xbox IV. Just like being there.
Why do I say this is so exciting, because it costs one helluva lot of money to send humans into space. You see, when you send humans you have to worry about water, recycling, food, space radiation, psychological issues of confinement and bio system issues with entropy. None of these issues
Additionally a 10 months trip to Mars might be completely boring with not a lot to see. And once you get there, there is not a lot to do. They're just is not a lot going on; on the surface of Mars. However there are times when the view is unbelievable and those memorable experiences can be caught on Memorex for all the world to see. Consider this in 2006.
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