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From: rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Remotely Controlled Manipulators in Space
Message-ID: <622@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 18:09:01 EST
Article-I.D.: riccb.622
Posted: Tue Feb  4 18:09:01 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 05:27:59 EST
References: <8602020218.AA04732@s1-b.arpa>
Organization: Rockwell International - Downers Grove, IL
Lines: 41

In article <8602020218.AA04732@s1-b.arpa> Paul Dietz writes:
> The problem with using [remote manipulators] in space is the
> nonnegligible feedback delay imposed by the speed of light . . .

Well, that's ONE of the myriad problems.  What about maintenance and
repair of the machines?  Or ordinary servicing, including refueling (if
any)?  Another minor problem [sarcasm] is the design and realization
of these machines.  Certainly we should be able to replace humans
with teleoperators in every dangerous "mundane" occupation (e.g. coal
miner, test pilot, saturation deep-sea diver, fire fighter, police
officer, cat bather, and inner-city school teacher to name just a few)
long before we'll be able to create teleoperators that function even in
low Earth orbit.  I guess it'll be a while before we even see such
things happening on the surface of the Earth, much less in space.

> . . . a "seed" manufacturing facility . . . could be put in place . . .
> The facility would be capable of reproducing itself . . .

What, you just drop it on the lunar surface and it installs itself?
That would be multiplying the complexity of the thing considerably.
And of course you build in a Junior Alchemy set so that it can transform
lunar soil into titanium.  Oh, not impossible maybe, but certainly
a couple centuries into the future.  And many quadrillions of dollars.

> . . . it probably would be more efficient (and safer) for the human
> to be close (< .05 light seconds) to the manipulator (and inside a
> habitat) than for the human to be in a space suit.

No argument there, but it does pose some technological challenges in
the areas of dexterity, adaptability, etc.

> This research would probably be the single most important near term
> contribution a computer scientist/roboticist could make to the space
> program.

You have a rather elongated definition of "near term."  How about a
computer scientist becoming an astronaut to understand better what
needs to be done with data management systems to better assist people
in space?  That's my goal.
--
	Roger Noe			ihnp4!riccb!rjnoe