Robots - The Future For NASA?

Impossible. That's what the 2009 Augustinesuch long duration--at one time the craft held a
committee reported about prospects for NASA's26-hour record for single-flight endurance--it can
human exploration of space, at least for the nextcontinually co-operate with both ground based
seven years. NASA's budget issues remain at the topfirefighters and off-planet satellites to photograph
of the list holding humans from space but the sameand monitor fires below.
future may not hold true for its robots.In the future, NASA is likely to entertain ideas for
Two recent robot adventurers, rovers Spirit andusing this sort of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in a
Opportunity, lend credence to the idea that NASA'srole exploring and monitoring the surface of alien
future may rapidly become reliant on robots to carryworlds, carrying out automated scientific experiments
out missions in space. The Mars exploring rovers costat high-altitude, and coordinating with other robots on
the agency more than $400 million apiece but havethe ground and in space alike.
returned nearly six years of insightful data andA Future for NASA Robots
imagery from the red planet's surface.Sure to be the envy of every earth-bound
Contrast this against the charge for merely launchinggrasshopper, the Jollbot is wiry, robotic contraption
human passengers into orbit via space shuttle, atthat may take a leap for NASA's future exploration
roughly $450 million per launch, and the fiscal benefitsof space.
become quickly apparent. Not to mention, spaceRobots that physically walk on some sort of leg or
shuttles such as Endeavour cost the agency almostroll around on a set of wheels can easily be thwarted
$1.7 billion to manufacture alone.by unpredictable terrain. The Jollbot takes a different
NASA's Space Faring Robots of the Pasttack by literally forming a ball to roll across obstacles.
The Mars rovers aren't the first robots to plumb theIf things get too tough, or if there are simply better
mysteries of space for NASA. In fact, robots haveplaces to explore, the Jollbot can hop its way to a
investigated and visited more locations in our solardistant new location or hurdle over a small patch of
system than any human--oftentimes to locales andifficult ground before continuing its mission.
astronaut couldn't survive.Such a robot could provide a far cheaper and far
In 1973 the robotic space probe Mariner 10 traveledmore efficient answer than previous attempts made
to the inner system planets of Mercury and Venusby NASA at exploring other planets and moons. It
while its younger sister, Mariner 9, made the trip toalso means that NASA could send many more of
Mars more than thirty years before Spirit andthese robotic explorers than usual opening up the
Opportunity. Alongside, Pioneer Venus 2 ejectedpossibility of mapping and traversing entire landscapes
robotic probes which dared an actual foot landing onin short periods of time, both on our home planet
the surface of Venus, a vacation spot braggingand anywhere in space we can afford to send them.
temperatures well over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.A much more human like robot is also being
One of those probes managed to survive the riskydeveloped by NASA and DARPA--the Robonaut.
descent and dutifully report back for 45 minutesFeaturing an upper torso, human styled hands and
inside roasting temperatures and atmosphericarms, and even a head straight out of your favorite
pressure that no sane human would tempt. Clearlyscience fiction movie, the Robonaut has been
robots can take an exploratory role that would beproposed as the ideal space janitor and maintenance
too costly and too dangerous for a person.man.
While we have managed to put footprints and flagsCapable of being mounted in ways we humans might
on our nearby Moon, robots have traveled to virtuallyfind offensive, the Robonaut could find itself perched
all of the planets and even some of their moons. Ofon the end of a long, robotic arm for spacewalks
course, robots have visited our rocky celestial partnerintended to repair and maintain equipment such as
as well, among them include various NASA Pioneerfound on the International Space Station or orbiting
spacecraft and an array of Soviet Luna spacecraft.satellites. Partnered with humans, a Robonaut could
Most of these robotic Moon explorers have taken amake these spacewalks safer and easier, if not less
role as simple orbiters but a few have impacted thetime-consuming and costly.
surface to pick through rocks and wander the barrenYet, the Robonaut isn't by any means limited to
surface.jaunts in space. One lucky Robonaut has been
NASA Robots on Earthmounted on a Segway HT, the hip, two-wheeled
Many ideas and projects for robots at NASA haveelectric scooter that has periodically foiled human
inevitably filtered down to worthy applications onriders such as George Bush.
Earth. After all, it is sometimes expensive orIt is certainly possible that NASA could find even
dangerous for a human to travel and visit locationsmore inventive ways to mount a Robonaut, on Earth,
on our own space rock.in space, and into the distant future. Whatever the
One example is the Altus II, a robotic airplanecase, it is apparent that robots form an effective
developed by NASA. Originally designed as a scientificcast and crew for NASA's future exploration of our
aircraft, in 2001 NASA presented the craft as a toolplanet and our universe.
for fighting fires.Additional information and sources for this article
Human pilots have often risked their lives pilotinginclude:
aircraft in an attempt to survey and monitor deadly,Augustine Plans Committee, Review of U.S.
often vast, wildfires. Because the Altus II can fly for