I am wondering if for example, a spacecraft is a light year away and it is en route to collide with an asteroid. So, it sends the info back to scientist on Earth, which will take one year. When the scientist on Earth receive the data, it will send commands back to the spacecraft,which will take another 1 year.

However, wouldnt the spacecraft have collided with the asteroid by then?:confused:

I am wondering if for example, a spacecraft is a light year away and it is en route to collide with an asteroid. So, it sends the info back to scientist on Earth, which will take one year. When the scientist on Earth receive the data, it will send commands back to the spacecraft,which will take another 1 year.

However, wouldnt the spacecraft have collided with the asteroid by then?:confused:

 

Yes. This is why we let our teenagers drive, instead of relying on sound signals and operating the controls from our house.

If the craft is unmanned, I would assume the same sensors that picked up the data on the asteroid would report that to the computer navigator for course correction.