Difference between revisions of "695: Spirit"
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| title =Spirit | | title =Spirit | ||
| image =spirit.png | | image =spirit.png | ||
− | | titletext =On January 26th, 2274 Mars days into the mission, NASA declared Spirit a | + | | titletext =On January 26th, 2274 Mars days into the mission, NASA declared Spirit a 'stationary research station' expected to stay operational for several more months until the dust buildup on its solar panels forces a final shutdown. |
}} | }} | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | Anthropomorphism is a distinctly human characteristic. | + | Anthropomorphism is a distinctly human characteristic. We see parallels between ourselves and non-speaking (even non-living objects), to the point where some people even jocularly worry about hurting the feelings of, say, an automobile. We call ships "she". We see human faces in objects like the arrangement of lights on the front of a car. |
− | The {{w|Spirit rover|Mars Spirit Rover}}, like many high-functioning robots in real-life and fiction, shares many physical similarities with a human being or animal. | + | The {{w|Spirit rover|Mars Spirit Rover}}, like many high-functioning robots in real-life and fiction, shares many physical similarities with a human being or animal. It has a head, eyes, neck, body, legs, feet, arms and a hand. And it strikingly resembles sentient robots from fiction, such as Johnny 5 from ''{{w|Short Circuit (film)|Short Circuit}}'', or WALL-E from {{w|WALL-E|the film of the same name}}. |
− | Thus, this comic explores what the Spirit rover's life would be like if it were sentient like those robots. | + | Thus, this comic explores what the Spirit rover's life would be like if it were sentient like those robots. The rover was never intended to return to Earth, and lasted 5 1/4 active years on the Martian surface, far exceeding its mission duration of 90 Earth days. A sentient robot might assume that after his 90-day mission was over, he'd get to return home, hence his confusion when he's not sent home on Day 91. |
In a heartbreaking story, Spirit does his best to keep his hopes alive as he continues analyzing rock after rock for ''years,'' hoping, much like Sam from the television series ''{{w|Quantum Leap}},'' that the ''next'' one will be the one that sends him home. | In a heartbreaking story, Spirit does his best to keep his hopes alive as he continues analyzing rock after rock for ''years,'' hoping, much like Sam from the television series ''{{w|Quantum Leap}},'' that the ''next'' one will be the one that sends him home. | ||
− | In real-life, it would be cruelty of the absolute worst kind to create an artificial intelligence advanced enough to have such feelings, and then abandon it on an uninhabited planet with no intention of ''ever'' bringing it back amongst people. | + | In real-life, it would be cruelty of the absolute worst kind to create an artificial intelligence advanced enough to have such feelings, and then abandon it on an uninhabited planet with no intention of ''ever'' bringing it back amongst people. So one is rather heartened that the Spirit rover ''is,'' in fact, just a programmed machine, not an AI. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Day 103 of 90 | :Day 103 of 90 | ||
− | :Spirit (thinking): Maybe I didn | + | :Spirit (thinking): Maybe I didn't do a good enough job. |
:Day 127 of 90 | :Day 127 of 90 | ||
− | :Spirit (thinking): Maybe if I do a good enough job, they | + | :Spirit (thinking): Maybe if I do a good enough job, they'll let me come home. |
:Day 857 of 90 | :Day 857 of 90 | ||
:Spirit (thinking): I thought I analyzed that rock really well. | :Spirit (thinking): I thought I analyzed that rock really well. | ||
− | :Spirit (thinking): It | + | :Spirit (thinking): It's okay, I'll do the next one better. |
:Day 1293 of 90 | :Day 1293 of 90 | ||
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:Day 1944 of 90 | :Day 1944 of 90 | ||
:Spirit (thinking): Oh no. | :Spirit (thinking): Oh no. | ||
− | : | + | :''whirrrr'' |
− | :Spirit (thinking): I | + | :Spirit (thinking): I'm stuck. |
− | : | + | :''whirrrr'' |
:Spirit (thinking): Did I do a good job? | :Spirit (thinking): Did I do a good job? | ||
Line 55: | Line 55: | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category:Comics with color]] |
Revision as of 10:54, 29 January 2013
Explanation
Anthropomorphism is a distinctly human characteristic. We see parallels between ourselves and non-speaking (even non-living objects), to the point where some people even jocularly worry about hurting the feelings of, say, an automobile. We call ships "she". We see human faces in objects like the arrangement of lights on the front of a car.
The Mars Spirit Rover, like many high-functioning robots in real-life and fiction, shares many physical similarities with a human being or animal. It has a head, eyes, neck, body, legs, feet, arms and a hand. And it strikingly resembles sentient robots from fiction, such as Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, or WALL-E from the film of the same name.
Thus, this comic explores what the Spirit rover's life would be like if it were sentient like those robots. The rover was never intended to return to Earth, and lasted 5 1/4 active years on the Martian surface, far exceeding its mission duration of 90 Earth days. A sentient robot might assume that after his 90-day mission was over, he'd get to return home, hence his confusion when he's not sent home on Day 91.
In a heartbreaking story, Spirit does his best to keep his hopes alive as he continues analyzing rock after rock for years, hoping, much like Sam from the television series Quantum Leap, that the next one will be the one that sends him home.
In real-life, it would be cruelty of the absolute worst kind to create an artificial intelligence advanced enough to have such feelings, and then abandon it on an uninhabited planet with no intention of ever bringing it back amongst people. So one is rather heartened that the Spirit rover is, in fact, just a programmed machine, not an AI.
Transcript
- [The Spirit rover is on the surface of Mars.]
- Spirit (thinking): 89 days to go!
- Day 88 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): Two days until I go home!
- Day 91 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): ?
- Day 103 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): Maybe I didn't do a good enough job.
- Day 127 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): Maybe if I do a good enough job, they'll let me come home.
- Day 857 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): I thought I analyzed that rock really well.
- Spirit (thinking): It's okay, I'll do the next one better.
- Day 1293 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): Sandstorm. Power dying.
- Spirit (thinking): But a good rover would keep going. A good rover like they wanted.
- Day 1944 of 90
- Spirit (thinking): Oh no.
- whirrrr
- Spirit (thinking): I'm stuck.
- whirrrr
- Spirit (thinking): Did I do a good job?
- Spirit (thinking): Do I get to come home?
- Spirit (thinking): Guys?
- [Spirit rests in the middle of a vast Martian landscape.]
Discussion
Uhh, I'm laughing on this comic for almost three , but this explain is still not complete:
- - the mission was not only 90 days
- - Spirit did many great investigations
- - that "Free Spirit" campaign should be mentioned after it did stuck in the deep sand in early 2010
- - and Opportunity is a still operating companion on Mars in 2013
- - there is much more..., ask Randall!--Dgbrt (talk) 21:19, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
Do you guys really not see all the typos in this? not even the one in the first comment? -- 180.94.92.234 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- You see a problem? Fix it. Click "Edit" at the top and help improve the article! There is nothing you can do that can't be reversed with a few mouse clicks, so don't worry about messing things up. NealCruco (talk) 02:49, 10 August 2014 (UTC)
I just feel :'( SilverMagpie (talk) 03:38, 4 April 2017 (UTC)
I have no idea, but this particular comic makes me sad. Truly a tearjerker...Boeing-787lover 16:36, 19 May 2018 (UTC) -- Xkcdreader52 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- Same. I'm going through all the comics reverse-chronologically and damn these last few ones have hit hard. 172.70.93.43 07:42, 11 February 2023 (UTC)
You folks do know about Spiritrover's LJ, right? Opportunity was Opportunitygrrl, and there was also Fuse-sat. Yngvadottir (talk) 21:41, 22 October 2018 (UTC)
How is everyone laughing about this I think its very sad and depressing :(. I HAVE NO NAME (talk) 07:58, 20 August 2024 (UTC)