The following opinion was provided in a letter to the editor of a national aeronautics magazine:
“Manned space flight is costly and dangerous. Moreover, the recent success of a series of unmanned space probes and satellites has demonstrated that a great deal of useful information can be gathered without the costs and risks associated with sending men and women into space. Therefore, we should invest our resources in unmanned space flight."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
Artificaial Intelligence (AI) has made significant progress over the last few decades, so much so as to replacing human resources at certain places.
This particular letter to the editor of a national aetonautics magazine raises a similar argument. The writer believes that unmanned space flights should receive more resources and attention, compared to manned missions that are "costly and dangerous".
The basic assumption that the writer makes here is that unmanned missions are more cost-effective than manned missions. In fact, the entire argument primarily depends on this main assumption. However, a little more perspective is required here to find out exactly how cheap is an unmanned mission to a manned one? Was a one-time (or few times) affair? What sort of technology was used in those missions and do these technology cost the same now or has the cost increased? If the prices are up, unmanned missions may no longer be as cheap as the times, which the author has chosen as his reference points. Do we need new technologies that are dearer than earlier?
Alternately, with a number of private players such as Blue Origin and SpaceX entering the space technology arena, the cost of all missions - manned or unmanned, may be down in the coming years - making it a moot point whether the mission is manned or unmanned.
The second assumption that the writer makes is that the data and information gathered during unmanned probes are useful enough, when compared to manned missions. Well it may be true, but it may be false too. While AI is replacing human in many fields, there are some things that require emotional quotient, which is yet to be reflected in AI devices or bots. In future, these unmanned missions may not be able to gather as useful data as astronauts and scientists require, and hence the success of an entire mission will be in jeopardy (because few bucks had to be saved).
The third assumption made by the writer is that manned space missions are risky and dangerous. While this may be true to a great extent, space technology has really advanced leaps and bounds over the last few decades and in future, scientists may be able to considerably reduce the dangers posed to men and women in such missions. Additionally, the curiosity and valour of humans knows no bounds. The kind of data and information that homo spaiens may bring back from the limiless space, may not be possible in unmanned missions.
An unstated assumption made by the writer here is that unmanned mission are not risky or dangerous to living beings. Again, this may be true to some extent, but what happens if a satellite blasts a few seconds after its launch, within the atmosphere of the earth and its debris fall in the neighbourhood of the launch area? In this sense, no mission can be completely risk-free.
Thus, the assumptions by the writer need to be studied in perpective of the above arguments to gain insight into the matter.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 4.0 out of 6
Category: Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 23 15
No. of Words: 501 350
No. of Characters: 2373 1500
No. of Different Words: 241 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.731 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.737 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.573 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 176 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 115 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 86 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 47 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 21.783 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 10.455 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.652 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.287 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.287 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.046 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 1 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 94, Rule ID: SO_AS_TO[1]
Message: Use simply 'to'
Suggestion: to
...ress over the last few decades, so much so as to replacing human resources at certain pl...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 337, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'times'' or 'time's'?
Suggestion: times'; time's
... to a manned one? Was a one-time or few times affair? What sort of technology was use...
^^^^^
Line 3, column 409, Rule ID: THIS_NNS[2]
Message: Did you mean 'this technology' or 'these technologies'?
Suggestion: this technology; these technologies
...ology was used in those missions and do these technology cost the same now or has the cost incre...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 360, Rule ID: IN_PAST[1]
Message: Did you mean: 'In the future'?
Suggestion: In the future
... to be reflected in AI devices or bots. In future, these unmanned missions may not be abl...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 6, column 222, Rule ID: IN_PAST[1]
Message: Did you mean: 'in the future'?
Suggestion: in the future
...nd bounds over the last few decades and in future, scientists may be able to considerably...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 380, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...no mission can be completely risk-free. Thus, the assumptions by the writer need...
^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, hence, however, if, may, really, second, so, third, thus, well, while, as to, in fact, kind of, sort of, such as, to a great extent
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 33.0 19.6327345309 168% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 15.0 12.9520958084 116% => OK
Conjunction : 23.0 11.1786427146 206% => Less conjunction wanted
Relative clauses : 14.0 13.6137724551 103% => OK
Pronoun: 26.0 28.8173652695 90% => OK
Preposition: 56.0 55.5748502994 101% => OK
Nominalization: 12.0 16.3942115768 73% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2450.0 2260.96107784 108% => OK
No of words: 501.0 441.139720559 114% => OK
Chars per words: 4.89021956088 5.12650576532 95% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.73107062784 4.56307096286 104% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.71361938082 2.78398813304 97% => OK
Unique words: 248.0 204.123752495 121% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.49500998004 0.468620217663 106% => OK
syllable_count: 769.5 705.55239521 109% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59920159681 94% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 3.0 4.96107784431 60% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.76447105788 126% => OK
Subordination: 4.0 2.70958083832 148% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 1.67365269461 179% => OK
Preposition: 5.0 4.22255489022 118% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 19.7664670659 116% => OK
Sentence length: 21.0 22.8473053892 92% => OK
Sentence length SD: 59.2198811965 57.8364921388 102% => OK
Chars per sentence: 106.52173913 119.503703932 89% => OK
Words per sentence: 21.7826086957 23.324526521 93% => OK
Discourse Markers: 5.91304347826 5.70786347227 104% => OK
Paragraphs: 8.0 5.15768463074 155% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 6.0 5.25449101796 114% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 12.0 8.20758483034 146% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 6.0 6.88822355289 87% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 5.0 4.67664670659 107% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.160405836122 0.218282227539 73% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0495316971827 0.0743258471296 67% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0503596337826 0.0701772020484 72% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0798119024788 0.128457276422 62% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0758357420585 0.0628817314937 121% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.5 14.3799401198 87% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 58.62 48.3550499002 121% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.3 12.197005988 84% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.08 12.5979740519 88% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.18 8.32208582834 98% => OK
difficult_words: 111.0 98.500998004 113% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 9.0 12.3882235529 73% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.4 11.1389221557 93% => OK
text_standard: 11.0 11.9071856287 92% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Maximum six paragraphs wanted.
Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.