Neil deGrasse Tyson: Robots or People Go to Space?

Neil deGrasse Tyson weighs in on the moral dilemma with eye-opening wisdom. Should we send robots or people to space?

Share your thoughts on the debate in the comments below!

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[outaspaceman]

I think he's correct, but why did you get a robot to film it?

[pfvento]

Great thoughts, but why the horrible blue noise???

[LukeBeshar]

'There's value in human inspiration.'

[LucasGarrow]

what's with the annoying overlay?

[covodex]

this was an "just wow" talk for me, but you guys reallys messed it a bit up with your visual and audio overlay. the music would have been okay and enough.

[milesdavis]

Not only that, but we should be able to aventually combine our VR tech with roots to explore other planets POV

[lewishall]

What's the name of the backing track/ song/ music!???
Can't get a long enough snippet to use an app

[wbyjake]

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Carl Sagan of our time. The passion this man speaks with will always give me goosebumps.

[joaodecarvalho]

Behind every space robot there are a lot of humans. Human are just needed in space if the decisions need to be done in real time, or maybe because they have some better motor skills, for now.

[scottvayner]

What about the person that made the robot. I'd read a book about that person.

[willpower]

If a robot had advanced AI I seriously doubt we'd add human frailties like loneliness and fear.

[ImDemonAlchemist]

I'd really rather just hear him talk. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a brilliant dude. He doesn't need a shitty overlay, bland animation or googled images to get his point across.

[thomasstewart]

Really the biggest factor with sending a human is just the greater sense and pride we get from it. We're proud of the *scientists and engineers* who made the mars rover, we're proud of *Neil and Buzz*. It's a nice thought to think that our creative touch has marked mars but god the idea that someone with my flesh and blood who grew up in a house like me and breathed the same air as me and laughed at jokes and listened to music like me is walking on another planet just blows me away because I can imagine what that *feels* like to be there. I'm a math and physics major at a top university and a Putnam fellow and would love to go into academia, and we seemed to forget sometimes that scientists are human long before they are researchers. I'd leave everything behind: my family, my research, my love of mathematics, all the physics in the world cross my heart and hope to die just to walk on mars for a day just to *feel* that. I'm sure I'm not alone.

[zeyode]

Why don't we value the engineers or the inventors of the robots then? Through their scientific contributions, they're paving the way so that we can one day send millions of people into space to colonize other planets.

[Arthurious]

Neil Tyson is one of the scientist who inspired me to do science and mechanical engineering. He's very similar to Carl Sagan ideology wise.

[JohnMiguels]

Does anyone know the background music?

[georgeemyllabreu]

Can some tell me the name of the song. Its perfect.

[troydumas]

Without robots will never be efficient in space.

[araane]

Such a robot would be able to upload itself and gain a new robotbody though.. essentially it would become a hivemind thing that would be glad to send spare parts out to gain a wider spectrum to navigate

[troydumas]

Robots without a doubt they can cover more ground faster, more efficient, and can get us where we wanna be sooner.