From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Thu May 09 2002 - 03:04:12 MDT
On Thu, 9 May 2002, Amara Graps wrote:
> Very funny, Robert. Planetary scientists like to keep Pluto around for a bit
> though, because it's the best transNeptunian object we have presently.
> Let the scientists study it for a bit longer, please.
Lord, Amara is a luddite at heart! (byegones...)
Ok, we can negotiate on this. We will give you Pluto but will
dismantle Charon. Ok?
> Pluto's present atmosphere will freeze out when its orbit moves
> it further away from the Sun: the Pluto scientists think that it
> will freeze out completely in about 2020. The atmosphere holds
> some key information for understanding these kinds of objects.
No argument. But it begs the issue of when precisely simulation
will trump obsservation? At some point observational astronomy
will have to give ground to simulation based astronomy as the
simulations demonstrate increasing accuracy.
If I can run a complete (and accurate) simulation of whether
Europa could have evolved life then isn't it rather pointless
to send a probe there?
It fundamentally comes down to a cost issue -- whether the
simulation can bootstrap itself into a reasonable prediction
of the outcome vs. running a real-life experiment based
on real molecules in planetary quantities. Its a numbers
game -- sooner or later we have to live with it.
Robert
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