Artful Dodger: I've seen 90% sure that he's the daddy. Also I remember on the Apollo missions.. there was a fair chance the astronauts would die. They still went.

Plus.. from a personal point of view (as recognised by many thinkers) you can apply a 'weight' or certainty factor to an idea or thought.

So much science and invention has come from trial and error, refining ideas as you go along. The electric bulb is such an invention... it took many attempts to find a filament that would work.

As for sats... yes they have a use, but local weather stations, buoys, ships provide much more detailed info. Perhaps it's because you can't see millimetre detail from space as far as I know.