What’s Lost When Robots Replace AstronautsWhen will humans set foot on Mars? If you listen to Elon Musk or all of the movies about the Red Planet, it seems inevitable that mankind will eventually reach the fourth planet from the sun. But it’s far from certain. Robots have been exploring Mars since 1997, but astronauts have never even gotten close. The last time humans touched down on the moon was over 50 years ago, and that’s a three-day journey from Earth. To get to Mars, it will take about nine months. There are plenty of reasons to send machines into space instead of humans: it’s cheaper, robotic technology is getting better all the time, and spaceflight is inherently dangerous. However, according to an array of interstellar experts, the pros of sending astronauts on these harrowing missions outweigh the many, many cons. | 