Suicide Space Robots

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It takes a lot of tech to send humans into space and to keep people alive up there, and get them safely home. But we have few qualms about sending robots on one-way suicide missions to the stars. And in some cases, the very destruction of these probes is part of the scientific experiment. Or in the case of the recent destruction of Cassini, to protect the solar system for future experiments. Today we’re going to memorialize the robots that have given their lives for in the name of space exploration.
Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
Written by Drew Rosen and Matt O'Dowd
Produced by Rusty Ward
Graphics by Kurt Ross
Assistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow
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[@HurricaneSA]

I miss Opportunity. "It's dark outside and my battery is low". RIP.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

I do too! "My battery is low and it's getting dark"...already experiencing the mandela effect, we are, Luke.

[@HurricaneSA]

@@genghisgalahad8465 Nah, we know that was not exactly what the little rover sent as a final message. I would have been more like "battery level = 0.5%; light level = 10%" or whatever robots would say. It just sounds more romantic and heroic to put words to it. :p

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Nope, it relayed that phrase to Jacob Margolis on twitter. No sources showed that Oppy sent numerical information in percentage. Therefore, Oppy relayed "My battery is low and it's getting dark" since nowhere but outside is where SHE would always have been. And Oppotunity took the opportunity to send one last image. Legolas, natha daged aen!

[@connor2525]

Serious comment though: pretty sure the end of the video got messed up in editing because Matt repeats himself verbatim in the last 47 seconds of the video.

[@BC3012]

It was a funny comment, and repeated for comedic effect

[@kirkhamandy]

I liked it, it's like repeating it to be absolutely clear. Afterall, I keep hearing the same old bullshit from Flat Earthers time and again. Just one repeat is ok :)

[@longalexislong]

But what a fucking line

[@johnseravic2717]

Blackhole gravitational lensing? (the repeat start with the backhole animation)

[@joebananas37]

The repetition of such an important and well expressed fact was a good idea.

[@FectacularSpail]

Don't anthropomorphize the robots. Robots hate being anthropomorphized!

[@Wiebejamin]

What about caninomorphize? I'll caninomorphize those poor little puppers all I want.

[@altareggo]

Underrated comment!! Made me laugh bigtime.

[@BuyBBStonk]

we're pretty fortunate we can watch a video like this to learn way more knowledge than anyone 15 years ago ever could

[@ludaheracles7201]

True but at what cost?

[@matthewweston6572]

@@ludaheracles7201 A tiny bit of advertising that can often be skipped. So, very low cost.

[@summer-west]

Or 40yrs ago. The school text books had mostly drawings of the planets in colored pencil and charcoal “res”. Pictures became available over time, but good luck getting your school to upgrade your books until they are 10+ years old.

[@goodkisser8591]

“Most noble deaths in science have been robots” Laika, dog: am I a joke to you?

[@edsmith2562]

I would have re-repeated that last bit as well. as well. Nice Point Matt.

[@edsmith4995]

Cool name bro.

[@recklessroges]

That's what the lizard people want you to think :-s

[@edsmith4995]

How do you know I'm not a reptilian overlord myself? And that's what we want you to think we want you to think btw.

[@Kridyedu]

About fringe ideas and Scientific process: we (scientists) fail in explaining the very base of science, based by Galileo and always used in all Sciences: 1- we have a model that 2- makes predictions. If 3- a new model has better general predictions, then 4- it is considered better. This deserve a video since this is used in physics, medicine, … from Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Hawking, … This must be taught to avoid misconception and counter people who tell the earth is flat and other conspiracy-friendly theories!

[@vacuumdiagrams652]

Hi Matt. Thank you for your kind words to me, and if I may, I will try to return the kindness. I really love this series, and your work here is fantastic. It's certainly the best science popularization work on youtube, and even in general at this level. Very few dare do what you do, to lead people to the nitty gritty and get them to learn some of the "real stuff" rather than teach everything by way of analogy. It takes both talent, knowledge, and hard work, and you show all three in spades. It's very easy to fall in the trap of only commenting when you have some complaint, so I wanted to make sure to say this. I only have one correction this time: it's not Dr. Diagrams quite yet, but check back in May :)

[@DaDenzelWashington]

;)

[@pbsspacetime]

Congrats on your near-doctoring, Mr Diagrams. May your defense committee be chill and your thesis corrections trivial. Please keep bringing the wisdom!

[@MrEnjoivolcom1]

"It takes both...and you show all three." Not quite grammatically correct nor dynamically fluent. I see why that DOCTOR status has yet to be reached!

[@vacuumdiagrams652]

Matter of fact, I am! Thanks for asking. I defended in April 2018.

[@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345]

Vacuum Diagrams good work doc

[@sharicamonet9675]

I’d give a toe to have watched clear footage of the Venusian atmosphere crushing and or burning the probes.

[@TheK.E.]

"one way suicidal mission to the stars" is my new band name

[@gizatsby]

thanks for that last bit. proper skepticism is the core of science, and it must be exercised on all sides to work properly, whether it's challenging old ideas or carefully approaching new ones.

[@satanic_rosa]

To unlock the mysteries of the universe, you have to pay $5,99 for the lootbox.

[@MadScienceWorkshoppe]

One thing that always bugged me, and I say this as an American, is who the hell does science in anything but metric? There should never have been a unit conversion error becuase nobody should have been designing anything that required it.

[@keithdurant4570]

You can't fix stupid!

[@comethawk2663]

There could've been a unit conversion error even within the metric system. Maybe someone read nano as micro or thought a 10^3 was a 10^6. But if it was anything but metric I completely agree.

[@MadScienceWorkshoppe]

This was not a decimal error, it was Imperial to metric.

[@Qstandsforred]

Do you know what the two units were? You seem to imply so.

[@MadScienceWorkshoppe]

It was pounds and newtons and it wasn't actually a unit conversion error, it was a unit mismatch. It's a well documented event from 20 years ago, I recommend giving it a search and reading some interesting articles!

[@gravijta936]

Deja vu at the end

[@gcarlindisciple6071]

I love how we talk about the very first "earthling" microbes going into space as a thing to mess up our science experiments when a philosopher a million years from now several stars from us will be trying to figure out whether there is a god that created him or whether aliens landed long ago when his entire existence actually comes down to a unit conversion error that sent a probe off course and eventually led to him. Trippy shit man.

[@Sylvianisme]

These replies some to viewers' comments are a great illustration of the scientific method, including when you admit your shortcomings. Great job displaying that to others.

[@sebastianelytron8450]

We need counseling robots in space, robot therapy centers and a robot suicide hotline 1-800-BOT-LIFE asap #RobotLivesMatter

[@BaronVonQuiply]

Give me liberty, or give me system shutdown! - Robotric Henry 2776

[@_DarkEmperor]

"Butlerian Jihad" mode activated.

[@steelgreyed]

LOL!

[@pablobragato7164]

I just love Twinsen's! lol

[@djschultz1970]

you mean for us humans tho right? Id go see a robot counselor about the guilt i feel for crashing my drone into a toilet.

[@michaeldaugustine9249]

I think it's amazing that Voyager will drift forever in interstellar space. Maybe one day in the future it will be found by future human explorers and give an insight into early space exploration.

[@thenorup]

I feel that the probes should transmit a final broadcast along the lines of "My life for Aiur!"

[@gdibble]

15:15 I get your [hilarious] "Running gag" device --way to lay on the point ;D

[@donaldmoe3286]

In mentioning Spirit and Opportunity, you neglected to also mention Pathfinder, which was the predecessor to those other two rovers and was successful in its own limited way. Too often Pathfinder seems to be the forgotten Mars rover.

[@brocktechnology]

Pathfinder did receive excellent fictional glory in "the Martian".

[@apple54345]

damn was going to make a matt damon comment here. too late :(

[@ablebaker8664]

In the dark stillness of the Europan ocean two darkly purple mollusk-like creatures settle into their sponge-ish sofa with a big tub of "real" Theater Hexane Popbleen to watch the latest sci fi/horror feature... _It Came From Earth_ , about a minute spec of epithelial dander carried to Europa on a space probe, that runs amok.

[@garethdean6382]

'This is SO unrealistic.' 'I know, CARBON based life? Don't they know anything about chemistry?'

[@ablebaker8664]

Gareth Dean Are you kidding? I could have sworn you said they were made out of meat! _They're Made Out of Meat_ kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5ezlZuphZ2LoKs

[@garethdean6382]

It's a classic sci-fi short, I also liked its unofficial sequel 'They were made out of meat' where the human race, in a scant 50 years, merges with machines and, unaware of the diversity of life, consumes whole planets with its probes as it desperately seeks more meat to talk to.

[@mad_fresc4842]

Opportunity and Spirit, when the time is right we will come and get you back. You deserve a nice place in a museum. These little guys have archieved so much more then they were designed for.

[@jimsackmanbusinesscoaching1344]

I think the notion that is being discussed at the end of the video is explored greatly in Thomas Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

[@ubererhs2898]

For a while i thought i was going crazy there at the end

[@connor2525]

Did he say enchiladas?

[@IveJustHadAPiss]

Maybe he was hungry! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGeyd3egf7idkJI How to pronounce Enceladus

[@BaronVonQuiply]

I've got one in the fridge that just started moving on its own last week.

[@martiddy]

Connor Kenney LOL, he said Enceladus

[@charjl96]

Sounds like it

[@djschultz1970]

His hands totally said enchiladas

[@KhalilEstell]

Thanks for that extended comments section at the end! I like the way you approached the comments you received.

[@Jinopls]

This video felt very humble and warm. Thx robots and their numerous creators.

[@nobiggeridiot]

'... and they know what poo poo smells like ...' Would like to nominate this as a quote of the year candidate. Maybe even a t-shirt, with a flat earth diagram for a background.

[@lancetschirhart7676]

With an enormous turd on it?

[@Syberdoog]

what happened at the end? :D

[@cpgvonc7568]

What happened at the end? :D

[@ariochiv]

Guessing it was some kind of editing error. Either that, or we just discovered a glitch in the Matrix.

[@AlejandroBravo0]

Guessing it was some kind of editing error. Either that, or we just discovered a glitch in the Matrix.

[@orionivx]

Guessing it was some kind of editing error. Either that, or we just discovered a glitch in the Matrix.

[@JeremyMcCandlish]

.xirtaM eht ni hctilg a derevocsid tsuj ew ro ,taht rehtiE .rorre gnitide fo dnik emos saw ti gnisseuG

[@pato9825]

For sure those robots should be remembered because they brought a lot of evidence to us and enabled us to see more also I think we should not forget all those animals that were killed in first space experiments by harsh conditions in spacecrafts so we know if it is safe to send people to space. Those lives count too and I think they deserve recognition :)

[@burgzaza]

Aww I was hoping a mention of Philae and Rosetta, stuck on a comet until their destruction, or the destruction of the comet itself ! By ESA !

[@stcredzero]

You down with OPP? (Office of Planetary Protection)

[@kurtross9098]

Yeah, you know me

[@VinniePaz]

Kurt beat me by 2 minutes lol

[@rameyzamora1018]

You mean does it give us an Alley OOPP into spacetime?

[@aaron2709]

I'm up with UFP (United Federation of Planets)

[@joey_after_midnight]

Wouldn't the {Office of Planetary Splat and Littering} be a little more appropriate at this point? I mean.. we haven't even "proven" there are any exo-Life forms to protect... its a bit of wishful thinking at this point.

[@merfah7022]

Inb4 "This is clickbait, there are no actual space robots committing suicide!"

[@NightBazaar]

That's right. They aren't committing suicide. They're sent to their death by sinister mission control commands. THEY'RE BEING MURDERED!

[@thedemonlord8685]

deep

[@BaronVonQuiply]

It's really more of a Jigsaw type situation only with fewer sequels so far.

[@vancel35]

Or, if someone tells you to jump in front of a train and you do it... did they murder you or was that suicide? Luckily our robots aren't sentient... yet.

[@Lifebforeafter]

Laura Vance Robots aren't concious.

[@richarddeese1991]

Thanks! I believe that we *_should_* honor these interplanetary mechanical troopers, both because of the hard work & scientific curiosity of their creators, *_and_* because we realize that they are extensions of ourselves, going where we cannot yet go, and telling us more about what's out there. They prepare the way for us, and in turn, we root for them. Thanks again. tavi.

[@radicalbiscuit]

My favorite doomed probe: Deep Space 1. Undaunted by system failures, its mission was extended again and again as it just kept going. Its true story serves as a parable of human space exploration itself.

[@hynol]

Pls dont forget Apollo 1 crew.

[@KanonHara]

OK Matt I get it I get it, scientists are rational and don't poo poo ideas or whatever, you dont have to tell me twice.

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

Venera... yes, one of them gave us our first ever reading of the inside of a camera lense cap while on the surface of Venus.

[@hollymay6567]

Me: wiping tears from my eyes, choking up, on the verge of actual sobbing Matt: "these robots are just robots"

[@NewMessage]

Better than Homicidal Space Robots. You know they're coming.

[@sjoerdsein]

New Message Shouldn't it be Robocidal then?

[@stardust4001]

I saw you on seth meyers

[@acruzp]

2001

[@MadScientist512]

At least Voyager will come back as V'ger...

[@LeutnantJoker]

Wasn't that Voyager 6 or something though? :D The one we never sent? :D

[@MadScientist512]

@@LeutnantJoker Well spotted :)

[@sergeigmyria7828]

Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to reply to comments here. As a curious layman, I appreciate the answers you give to people's questions here very much. Keep up the amazing job!

[@6099x]

i felt an inspiring awe watching this. never forget our robotic friends

[@wangtoriojackson4315]

#GeckoGate

[@utsavshah5459]

When you're finally caught up with Space Time and see notification of new upload... I cannot express in words... #SuicideSquadGoals

[@TropicalCoder]

So are you telling us that Cold Fusion is just a fringe idea and a dead end? Just kidding. You gave us a very good insight into how Science works to weed out such fringe ideas.

[@jiridobry2109]

Error at 8:22 : Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko does not head to Kuiper belt! It is a short period comet that will not even cross Saturn orbit.

[@spartacus5950]

Off topic, but with axions, WIMPS, and MACHOS all seen as probably not dark matter (generally speaking from recent news), what dark matter candidates are even left?

[@tru7hhimself]

wimps are our best bet at the moment.

[@vacuumdiagrams652]

Have you ever heard that joke about the drunk who's crouching under the street lamp? Someone asks him "hey, what are you doing" and he's like "I lost my car keys over there!", to which the stranger replies "so why are you looking over here", "because I can't see anything over there, it's too dark!" :) Point being, people study these dark matter candidates because they're theoretically plausible, potentially detectable candidates. Nothing whatsoever says that dark matter couldn't be an altogether new type of particle that doesn't interact with _anything_ except gravitationally for example. Perhaps that'd be perverse on nature's part, but nobody says nature has to be nice.

[@Fiercesoulking]

Hm the problem with this is its looks kinda like : There is a gear-wheel on the other side and look here I have a new particle which explain why it is moving. Physic did evolve over time first we had Newtonian physic then relativity and then all those particle came on top of this and added/founded some new over time to complete the model. When you have a new force the chance is ludicrous big that you will overlook stuff when you start at the end of the whole exploring process. This doesn't mean there aren't particles to be found. The other problem I have with this is there is a really big chance you won't find dark matter particle inside the solar-system because otherwise dark-matter would be found in much more obvious quantities in it . Why this you can take different approaches either normal matter and dark-matter annihilate each other or what we see as " dark-matter" is something which can only exists the specific type of gravity-wheel which exists in interstellar space. So when you want to measure particle there is a good chance you have to leave the solar-system for it.

[@elijahgardi7501]

I'm guessing dark matter is really cold particles. Dark energy has something to do with the EM force being communicated through long distances by these cold particles. If you look at Maxwell's equations it describes negative charge as holes of positive charge. Therefore IF the universe was all really just positive then there's be a repulsive force. Ie dark energy.

[@pepe6666]

this video really needs a picture of bender

[@timothywhite2666]

What a relaxing episode that didn't leave me feeling completely stupid.

[@maggsgorilla]

Whoa! Serious deja vu at the end

[@thom1218]

+PBS Space Time - It'd be great to see a video about the resent resurgence of CFT (Conformal Field Theory) & Bootstrapping and its relationship to Nima Arkani-Hamed's amplituhedron & Quantum Gravity: www.wired.com/2017/03/radical-vision-universe-returns-electrify-physics/

[@lewsheen7514]

From the article you cited: "It’s far from clear whether our own universe holographically emerges from a conformal field theory in the way that AdS universes do, or if this is even the right way to think about it. The hope is that, by bootstrapping their way around the unifying geometric structure of possible physical realities, physicists will get a better sense of where our universe fits in the grand scheme of things - and what that grand scheme is." Promising, but hardly an earth-shaking paradigm shift...

[@thom1218]

+Lew Sheen - Yeah that ending layman's conclusion is pretty boilerplate for science articles... but most folks in these comments are interested in the details in the meat of the article.

[@StoneCresent]

A moment of silence for our robotic lunar explorers who went unmentioned in this video. Many deliberately crash landed to help us understand the lunar surface.

[@alexwang982]

:(

[@calebmauer1751]

I will never forget them as long as I live. What were there names again?

[@tylerlowden8023]

Not just robots.....humanity pushing outward. I have zero credit to the build, but I feel I'm totally part of it

[@davidtatro7457]

This is such a touching tribute to the many beloved machines which have been sacrificed for space science. Perhaps a similar tribute would be in order for the humans and other animals who have met a similar fate.

[@it_was_my_cat]

I never would've guessed that GLaDOS was suicidal.

[@calebmauer1751]

+Cozmick G - That explains why Cassini's last message was "HUGE SUCCESS".

[@SpecialEDy]

There are plenty of people, myself included, who would go on a suicide mission to space. Surely a human could pilot a probe onto Mars easier than a robot, and discover more on the surface with their few remaining hours of oxygen.

[@SpecialEDy]

Dzaga Maga But only a human can improvise and act outside of its programming. We're also more versatile.

[@1010ZZZ1010]

"But only a human can improvise and act outside" aww. I suppose Challenger crew wasn't creative enough. Space is not a game and in most situation it will not help. Better to give to robot ten redundant engines and more DV, then haul creative piece of meat you and bunch of heavy and bulky life support In hope that you can fix something what robot not even need. And vulnerable you will broke more likely on the way then robot. If you lose a robot it's just money but if you will die from some shit it endanger whole program because it big deal suddenly. Human creativity better placed in engineering these cute silicon pals.

[@fheedpexx9267]

Aren't we all already on a suicide mission in space, when you think about it..

[@vocassen]

They would actually not allow it I would assume, since you could easily (and will) contaminate Mars. As in bring bacteria on it and make future searches for marsian bacteria much harder.

[@Stoic9]

Just wanted to say thank you for your "Fringe Science" comment reply,. Enjoyed the show as always. Keep it up!

[@SonataPolar]

When I read the notice of Cassini's destruction I cried a little :c Goodbye Mr. Roboto u.u

[@AZOffRoadster]

Shouldn't we switch from saying "Speed Of Light" to saying "Speed Of Causality"? The speed of light has an upper limit of the speed of causality, but we know light can be slowed down, and causality can't. Just old habits?

[@DFPercush]

IF YOU SEND DNA TO 23ANDME - or a number of other "ancestry" services, they can be compelled to hand it over to the government. The mass data collection is already happening. You don't have to give your DNA to find out your heritage.

[@lewsheen7514]

Never mind the government - it's the health insurance industry getting their greedy hands on my genetic info that has *ME* worried!!!

[@UpcycleElectronics]

Your on Google's KZbin. If your really worried about personal data security you'd completely disconnect from Google in every possible way. There's nothing wrong with 23 and me when compared to the Google monster.

[@donamills]

Ahhhhhh, conspiracy theories. You got to love them.

[@djschultz1970]

Ill just wait for the "Find your DNA SCORE" services to pop up. Like the credit reprting and background check services that litter the internet now. Without me knowingly giving these companies any of my actual data, they really want to charge me to release what they know about me to me.

[@DrIBeast]

Personally would love my health insurance to get my DNA. Talk about a serious reduce in rates. Thanks Mom and Dad for the great DNA.

[@theotheremily]

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you PBS Space Time!

[@dexterrity]

That déjà vu ending got me thinking there has been a glitch in our simulated reality.

[@liquidhype3025]

I don't approve of the way he pronounces "Enceladus". Sounds like he's saying "enchilada"

[@garethdean6382]

Taco Bell is sponsoring this episode.

[@thom1218]

Regarding the EM Drive... NASA is almost never in the press with fringe ideas, so when they report on an idea that is considered fringe, perhaps give them a little credit and try the "let's wait and see" approach rather than dismissing it before proper experimentation can be done...

[@j-man72b72]

Till the EM drive is tested in space, there may always be a split in opinions on if it does or doesn't work.

[@djschultz1970]

the math sais zero thrust. reputable expiriments to date say zero thrust. next wackjob who designs a better expiriment might measure negative thrust. That would be my favorite. Thrusting in the wrong direction is definitely progress.

[@vacuumdiagrams652]

NASA actually has a history with fringe ideas. They had the "breakthrough propulsion physics program" in the 90s whose aim was specifically to fund crazy ideas that could lead to dramatic improvements in our ability to explore space, if they panned out. They scaled back their operations significantly since then, but they still fund one or other small project just in the off chance it works, like a lottery ticket. That's Eagleworks. Unfortunately (it's hard to sugarcoat this so I won't try) most people who are competent enough to do this sort of research correctly, won't. Maybe NASA can afford to throw out 50 grand a year on some crazy venture, but who has the 5/10 years to take off their career to do something they can't put on a resume because it'll make them sound like cranks? So you have subpar experiments contaminated by obvious possible sources of error, papers filled with pseudoscience published in the wrong venue, and so on. Matt has been admirably diplomatic with regards to the emdrive, far more so than I possibly could be (and he's all the more persuasive for it) but the fact is, it's hard to take this sort of research seriously.

[@thom1218]

+Vacuum Diagrams Thanks, that's interesting background. You can add scientist Dr Chen Yue at the China Academy of Space Technology into the mix of incompetent researchers as well then, as he's claimed to develop a working unit. Indeed, in the end it may be that it's no more effective than a photonic drive, if it even works at all... but the world could be a much more rich and interesting place to live in if the rare "out there" ideas were encouraged to go through proper experimentation using the scientific method to its fullest, rather than be immediately met with hisses and sneered at by droves of pedestrian pseudo-scientists (many with atrocious spelling... ehem... DD SS) who are likely less competent than those carrying out the experiments.

[@vacuumdiagrams652]

"You can add scientist Dr Chen Yue at the China Academy of Space Technology into the mix of incompetent researchers as well then, " Most of what comes from China is pure rumor, and whatever solid information is usually filtered through google translate. I don't speak Chinese so I prefer not to speculate as to what people claimed. "sneered at by droves of pedestrian pseudo-scientists" One could argue quite convincingly that the emdrive itself is pseudoscience. There is no evidence that it works, nor any theoretical reason to expect that it should. Why waste time testing it?

[@anonymousunnamed3026]

I admit, when I Cassini finally stopped sending its signal...it brought a tear to my eye. And Voyager 1 fills me with awe and a little bit of envy. I sometimes wish I was Voyager 1. I love Space.

[@bcgal0004]

I like this guy's soft voice. easy to follow and just relaxing. other hosts should take notes :)

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

Can I send my mother in law in one of these!? 😁

[@pronounjow]

No because she may biocontaminate another world.

[@pered5]

Yo momma so fat, she already has! That’s a joke, not an actual insult. Please do not take it seriously.

[@azdgariarada]

0:12 "So far, the greatest, most noble deaths in the name of science have been those of robotic explorers" ???!!!??? Something tells me the families of Edgar White, Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom, Vladimir Komarov, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev, Vladislav Volkov, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Rick D. Husband, William McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel B. Clark, Ilan Ramon, Michael J. Adams, Valentin Bondarenko, Theodore Freeman, Elliot See, Charles Bassett, Clifton C. Williams, Robert Lawrence, Yuri Gagarin, Vladimir Seryogin, Sergei Vozovikov, and Michael Alsbury might dispute your claim about a few robots that were never alive in the first place having more noble "deaths" in the name of science. And these are just the humans who've died in the same field as the robotic probes you've mentioned, to say nothing of the valiant efforts and lives lost by humans working in other scientific fields. I understand the sentiment of the video, but it seems the writing of the opening line was a bit lacking in sensitivity to the actual living beings who have died in pursuit of knowledge.

[@azdgariarada]

Right? I was kinda stunned when I heard him say that.

[@Nemo34886]

you forgot to add my uncle Bob!!!!

[@calebmauer1751]

He was using hyperbole to provide entertainment, not making a reasoned argument that robotic lives are more valuable than human lives. If you spend all your time interpreting things negatively, your life will become a sad one.

[@brokentombot]

Robots are people too. Better people.

[@jaybyrdcybertruck1082]

Matt O'Dowd needs to be dressed as Gandalf for these videos. They are amazing.

[@MischievousBastard]

"A unit conversion error" = "Lockheed done fucked up royally!"

[@SupLuiKir]

Once we gain FTL and take our spot on the galactic stage, we'll probably want to scoop up Voyager and the others. They have a lot of information that could be very damaging from an intelligence perspective if someone else got to them first.

[@modolief]

But wait, can we visit Atlantis first?

[@william41017]

· 0xFFF1 it was intended to be found

[@amperzand9162]

william41017 yes. However, there are scenarios where we wish to hide the location of the earth from other civilizations, having made intentional contact with them.

[@SupLuiKir]

william41017 what if we find out other civs are dangerous? We'd immediately regret sending out probes that naively pointed to our home star and gave a bunch of details about our world, biology and society.

[@william41017]

· 0xFFF1 yeah that makes sense

[@td3312]

"So far, the greatest, most noble deaths in the name of science have been those of robotic explorers" PBS Space Time... wtf??? Isn't that a little insensitive to all of the people who have actually died in the name of science, notably every astronaut that ever died on a mission? I know that's not what you meant, but seriously, who proofread this?

[@onehitpick9758]

This recent collection improves upon many big-time science shows with brilliant depth, for those interested, and responses.. This is incredibly well done in the modern media age, indeed, and I look forward to future episodes.

[@laurachapple6795]

You had to remind me of that Rosetta/Philae video, the most I've ever cried over space robots.

[@bobbyharper8710]

"Unit conversion error". That foolish metric stuff again.

[@JFatGlentract]

I think the distinction of most noble deaths goes to the Apollo and Space Shuttle Astronauts who have died. Thumbs up is astronauts lives > space probes!

[@pitthepig]

this video is about space robots and probes, so your comment makes no sense. Thumbs down.

[@ragnkja]

I would include cosmonauts as well, like the crews of Soyuz 1 and 11.

[@Mernom]

Maybe, but once you get enough robot deaths, they will outweight the few astronaut deaths. Since there are not that many when you compare.

[@MischievousBastard]

Astronauts>Laika, the sex geckos, et al>robots.

[@kevinocta9716]

I don't think anyone would disagree that astronaut lives> robot 'lives', but more than that, I think it was a joke. No need to go crazy :D

[@kameelabdellatif4954]

You guys are awesome, and the way you deal with the people commenting is great. Keep up the amazing work.

[@paulsukhu]

Great monologue about the nature of reality in the 15th minute

[@nickdog9496]

Notification squad where you at?????

[@vampyricon7026]

o/

[@sigmareaver680]

"The greatest most noble deaths for science has been those of robotic explorers." I think the astronauts that have been lost to tragic accidents deserve a respectful mention as well.

[@buzzthebuzzard5267]

Yeah, it's weird that you are the only one to point that out. I wonder if comments were deleted?

[@lucaslafontaine1]

PBS and Professor Matt I greatly appreciate this channel that you guys have made. It not only has kept my interest and motivation to become an Astrophysicist but has also helped me understand more and more about the amazing and crazy things in this universe! You guys at SpaceTime kick some serious butt! Im curious to know what the biggest question you have about our universe and how any of us can help you figure out the problem?! Keep up the great work guys!😁

[@8xMorladumx8]

What I liked the most about this video is that he didn't say a single word about the costs of these robotic marvels! Space exploration shouldn't have a price tag, imo >.

[@nolanwestrich2602]

6:55 This is how I try to figure out people.

[@Roxor128]

Aww, no mention of Lunakhod or the Ranger probes to the moon.

[@akira1228]

Finally. My favourite series is released today. Two weeks of waiting.

[@IlicSorrentino]

Great video, different from usual but nonetheless appreciated. I am a huge fan of space exploration. Thanks

[@rogerszmodis]

We should leave Opportunity in place and build a museum around it when we get there. Sojourner too.

[@666Tomato666]

The interstellar probes don't use silicon for their electronics, because they need to be radiation hardened they usually use sapphire as the substrate

[@tomf3150]

Spirit & Opportunity... AND SOJOURNER !

[@joshuaolian7732]

dead astronauts: am i a joke to you?

[@Teth47]

Wouldn't it be amazing if Opportunity were somehow still functioning when people land on Mars? I mean, it's almost certainly impossible, but it'd be amazing to send a crew out to repair it XD

[@penisdeletus4601]

You said that, "It is difficult to keep humans alive in outer space." I agree. But what about developing human cyborgs ...???

[@cosmoshivani]

Really, the first spacecrafts sent by the Soviet Union made tremendous amount of sacrifices for future mars missions. Many rovers have roamed the surface of mars, and now India (ISRO) will also send it's Rover to the Moon! ISRO had already sent an impactor on Mars with the spacecraft named 'MOM' - yet another sacrifice!

[@85altant]

Great show

[@fanforever100]

First contact. Alien: "Please pick up after yourself."

[@JozefK78]

Yeah!! Finally a new episode! :)

[@mikeclarke952]

Cassini's last transmission went something like, "WTF NASA you bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep......

[@dipdap2912]

I find your videos very interesting and enjoyable Keep 'em coming