Announcing the ISEE-3 Interplanetary Citizen Science Mission
“After a successful reawakening the venerable ISEE-3 spacecraft is about to begin the first interplanetary citizen science mission. We will be beginning the “ISEE-3 Interplanetary Citizen Science Mission” on 10 August 2014 as the spacecraft flies by the Moon. We have a functional space craft that can do science and is already returning new data. All of our original citizen science objectives remain unchanged and are ready for implementation. In fact, we’ll be announcing some new partnerships shortly that will serve to turbocharge our efforts in this regard.”
The spacecraft does not “do” science. It follows commands to collect data via sensors placed on the craft.
And I bet you thought the millennium started in 2001, right?
We tell the spacecraft to do data collection i.e. science.
That may be true of ISSE-3, but some, more modern spacecraft are fairly sophisticated. They can collect data at a higher rate than they could possibly downlink it, automatically apply criteria to decide which data are interesting, and only send the good stuff down to Earth. Of course, the spacecraft is following criteria and standards define by a scientist on Earth. But if I had a student doing the same thing by hand, I’d say the student was “doing science.” So I don’t mind using the same terms when a computer.on a spacecraft does the same sort of work.
And automobiles do not “carry” passengers, as they have no hands; passengers ride in them. Silly.
“A difference which makes no difference, is no difference”
–William James (also attributed to Spock of Vulcan)
I have been watching this effort, silently, with interest. All I can say is…
YOU GUYS ROCK!
🙂