The best pictures you've seen.

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Originally Posted by n00b1n8R

You all realise the reason they used ancient hardware is because it's tried and tested and far more reliable than modern technology. Every time your computer crashes is equivalent to a shuttle blowing up. Now tell me they should update.

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Yeah im pretty sure thats not the reason but ok!

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Originally Posted by ICEE

Yeah im pretty sure thats not the reason but ok!

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Its why the Russians never invented a shuttle system. Their rocket program worked and works fine and they didn't want to fuck it up.

But NASA (and other organizations) come up with new hardware plans and ideas all the time. The reason some of them don't get made isn't because "well what if it doesnt work the first time", reasons vary from thing to thing. For instance Project Orion , a theoretical (and fucking awesome) ship powered by nuclear explosions. We have the technology to build it. If we built it, it could revolutionize space exploration. We don't build it because it would violate treaties that ban nuclear tests in space. Other ideas never come to fruition because $$$, or because it simply isn't necessary. When they launch telescopes however, they do use increasingly awesome hardware, like the James Webb.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by n00b1n8R

You all realise the reason they used ancient hardware is because it's tried and tested and far more reliable than modern technology. Every time your computer crashes is equivalent to a shuttle blowing up. Now tell me they should update.

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Hey this isn't the reason at all, but even if it were I'm pretty sure they don't use Windows so 90% of your issues would be irrelevant right there. Oh ad I haven't experienced a PC crash that wasn't related to faulty hardware or overclocking (see: my fault semi-on purpose) in years.

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Originally Posted by Cortexian

Hey this isn't the reason at all, but even if it were I'm pretty sure they don't use Windows so 90% of your issues would be irrelevant right there. Oh ad I haven't experienced a PC crash that wasn't related to faulty hardware or overclocking (see: my fault semi-on purpose) in years.

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Not since I got Windows 7 have I had any kind of crash

I havent turned this laptop off since September of 2010

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Originally Posted by TVTyrant

Its why the Russians never invented a shuttle system. Their rocket program worked and works fine and they didn't want to fuck it up.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)
HTH

Meh, unmanned space-flight is better anyway. Same goes for combat aircraft.

I'm not talking AI/Autonomous vehicles here though, that's just a bad idea. You want to have remote-controlled vehicles so you get the skill and expertise of a human pilot, but the capabilities and lack of death of a completely mechanical vehicle. For example, the F-22 Raptor (and many other fighters) can technically out perform the pilot. That means that the aircraft is capable of performing maneuvers that would leave a human unconscious due to G-Forces and the like.

But nobody cares if you land a robot on Mars. The public needs something to get excited about if you want to keep the budget up.

Landing robots on Mars is really exciting actually, except when they get hung up on rocks and end their voyage the excitement kinda dies down.

It's exciting to people like us. It's not exciting to your average guy. I've tried drumming up space talk many times, they just don't care. They are amazed at us landing on the moon, but not about landing a metal machine on Mars.

I mean, which sounds cooler to you?

"I just landed my probe on Mars."

"I just got back from walking on Mars."