The advantages of robots exploring the universe

On Christmas Eve 2024, an autonomous spacecraft flew past the Sun, closer to the star than any man-made object before. Flying through the atmosphere, NASA’s Parker probe is on a mission to explore the Sun, including its impact on space weather. This is a special moment for humanity, but no one is directly involved, because the spacecraft carries out its pre-programmed mission while flying past the Sun and does not communicate with Earth.

Automated probes have been flying through the solar system for the past six decades, reaching many destinations impossible for humans. During its 10-day close flight, the Parker spacecraft experienced temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius. But the success of these autonomous spacecraft, accompanied by the emergence of advanced artificial intelligence, also raises questions. about the role of humans in future space exploration, according to BBC.

Some scientists wonder whether astronauts are necessary. “Robots are developing rapidly and the case for sending humans into space is becoming more fragile. I don’t think tax money should be used for that,” said Lord Martin Rees, a British astronomer.

Andrew Coates, a physicist at the University of London, also agrees with the above opinion. “For space exploration, I prefer robots. They fly farther and do more work. They are also cheaper than astronauts. As AI becomes more advanced, robots can become even smarter.”

Autonomous robots versus humans

Automated spacecraft have visited every planet in the solar system, as well as many asteroids and comets, but humans have only been to two places: Earth orbit and the Moon. In total, about 700 people have flown into space since 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first space explorer. Most of them fly into orbit (circling the Earth) or suborbital (flying short distances into space for a few minutes on vehicles such as the New Shepard rocket of the American company Blue Origin.

In addition to the innate desire to explore or gain prestige, humans also conduct research and experiments in Earth orbit, such as the International Space Station, and use the results to advance science. Robots can contribute to that scientific research thanks to their ability to travel to many locations inhospitable to humans, and can use equipment to explore the environment and surface. “Humans are more flexible and perform work faster than robots, but it is very difficult to survive in space,” said Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, a biologist at Rice University, Texas.

However, robots also have some limitations. Many robots are quite slow and cautious, for example on Mars, remotely controlled rovers move at a speed of 0.16 km/h.

AI assistants and humanoid robots

Technology can contribute to human space travel by freeing astronauts from some tasks, allowing them to focus on more important research. According to Dr. Kiri Wagstaff, a computer and planetary scientist in the US who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, AI can be used to automate tedious work. “On the surface of a planet, humans become tired and distracted, but machines do not,” he said.

The challenge lies in the huge amount of electricity needed to operate a system such as a large language model (LLM), which can understand and generate human language through processing large amounts of text data. “We are not yet at the point where we can operate LLM on a Martian robot. The robots’ processors run at 1/10 the speed of a smartphone, meaning they cannot handle the command to run LLM,” Wagstaff said. know.

Complex humanoids with robotic arms and legs are another form of technology that can handle basic work and functions in space, especially because they more closely mimic human physical abilities. . NASA’s Valkyrie robot was built by the Johnson Space Center to complete a test in 2013. Weighing 136 kg and 188 cm tall, it is one of many humanoid machines with superpowers.

Long before Valkyrie was born, Robonaut was NASA’s first humanoid robot designed for use in space, performing human work. Two specially designed hands help it use tools like an astronaut and perform complex tasks such as grasping objects or pushing levers.

A later model of the Robonaut was transported to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011, where it participated in maintenance and assembly. “If we need to replace parts or clean photovoltaic cells, we can use robots,” emphasized Dr. Shaun Azimi at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. According to him, robots can be very useful, but do not completely replace astronauts, but work alongside them.

Some robots are operating on other planets without humans, sometimes even making their own decisions. For example, NASA’s Curiosity rover is exploring an area called Gale crater on Mars and automatically performs a number of scientific tasks without orders from humans. For example, it can analyze a block of rock and send data back to Earth while humans are sleeping. But the capabilities of rovers like Curiosity are limited by their slow speed. In addition, they do not have the ability to inspire like real people.

Humans have not flown far beyond Earth’s orbit since December 1972, when the last Apollo mission visited the Moon. NASA hopes to get humans there this decade with the Artemis program. The next manned mission will send four astronauts around the Moon in 2026. Another mission scheduled for 2027 will land NASA astronauts on the lunar surface. Not only NASA, the Chinese space agency also wants to fly around the Moon by 2026. However, humans will likely still have to continue taking small steps into space, on the path that robotic explorers have taken. flew by a long time ago.