Can robots replace human astronauts?

On the eve of Christmas, the autonomous spacecraft flew behind the sun, closer to anything than man -made before. NASA’s solar probe was on the air on a mission to discover more about the sun, including how space weather on Earth.

This was a prominent moment for humanity-but one without any person was directly involved, as the spacecraft carried out its pre-programmed tasks in itself while it is on the sun, without contact with the Earth at all.

Automated investigations have been sent through the solar system over the past six decades, as they have reached impossible destinations for humans. Within 10 days of flyParker Solar Probe witnessed 1000 ° C.

But the success of this independent spacecraft – along with the rise of the new advanced artificial intelligence – raises the issue of the role that humans may play in exploring the future space.

Some scientists wonder whether human astronauts will be needed at all.

“Robots develop rapidly, and the issue of human transmission is increasing all the time,” says Lord Martin Reese, the UK astronomical scientist. “I do not think that any taxpayer should be used to send humans to space.”

It also indicates a danger to humans.

“The only case for sending humans [there] It is an adventure, an experiment for the wealthy, and it must be funded separately. “

Andrew Cots, a physicist of the University of London College, agrees. “In order to explore hard space, I prefer a lot of robots,” he says. “[They] Go further and do more. “

It is also cheaper than humans, as it argues. “With the progress of artificial intelligence, robots can be smart and smart.”

But what does this mean for future generations of emerging astronauts – and certainly there are certain functions that humans can do in space but which robots, no matter how advanced, can never?

The automatic spacecraft visited each planet in the solar system, as well as many asteroids and comets, but humans went only to two destinations: Earth and moon orbit.

In all, about 700 people went to space, since the earliest time in 1961, when Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first cosmic explorer. Most of these were in orbit (rotated around the Earth) or under the short vertical jumps in the minutes that continued space, on vehicles such as the new Shepard Rocket Company of the American company Blue Origin).

“Prestige will always be a reason because we have human beings in space,” says Dr. Kelly Winzzmith, a biologist at Rice University, Texas and co -author of a city in Mars. “It seems that it has been agreed as a great way to show that your political system is effective and that your people are great.”

But regardless of the innate desire to explore, or a feeling of prestige, humans also conduct research and experiments in the Earth’s orbit, as in the International Space Station, and its use to develop science.

Robots can contribute to this scientific research, with the ability to travel to non -hospitable sites for humans, as they can use tools to study and investigate atmosphere and surfaces.

“Humans are more diverse and we get things faster than robot, but we are really difficult and costly to maintain space.”

In her 2024 Booker Prize -winning novel, author Samantha Harvey puts her more lyrical: “The robot has no need to moisturize, nutrients, secretion and sleep … He wants and does not ask about anything.”

But there are negatives. Many robots are slow and systematic-for example on Mars, Rovers (cars that control them away) go along 0.1 miles per hour.

“Amnesty International can overcome chess, but does this mean that they will be able to overcome humans in exploring environments?” Dr. Ian Krufford, the world of planets at the University of London. “I don’t think we know.”

However, it is believed that the artificial intelligence algorithms have been able to be “more efficient”.

Technology can play a role in complementing the travel of human space by freeing astronauts from certain tasks to allow them to focus on more important research.

“[AI could be used to] Dr. Kerry Westwaf, the world of computer and planets in the United States, who previously worked at the NASA jet laboratory in California, explains on the surface of a planet, tired of humans and losing its focus, but the machines will not do so. “

The challenge is that huge amounts of energy are needed to operate systems such as LLM models (LLM), which can understand and generate human language by processing huge amounts of text data. Duck says

Rovers processors operate about the tenth [of the speed] Your smartphone ” – this means that they are unable to deal with the intense demands of running LLM.

Complex human machines with weapons and automated limbs are another form of technology that can take basic tasks and functions in space, especially because they simulate the physical capabilities of humans in a closer way.

The Valkyrie Robot was built from NASA by the Johnson Space Center for competition in the 2013 robot challenge experience. Weighing 300 pounds and stands on 6ft2in, it does not seem to be different from Star Wars Stormtrooper, but it is one of the increasing number of human -like machines with supernatural abilities.

A long time before the creation of Falki, NASA Robonot The first human robot was designed to use in space, while assuming the tasks of humans in another way.

Her hands are specially designed that she can use the same astronauts tools and carry out complex and sensitive tasks such as absorbing objects or screaming keys, which were very difficult for other automated systems.

A subsequent model of Robunot to the International Space Station was transferred to the discovery of space shuttle in 2011, where it helped maintain and assemble.

“If we need to change a component or clean a solar panel, we can do this automatically.” “We see robots as a way to secure these habitats when humans are not present.”

It argues that robots can be useful, not replacing human explorers but to work next to them.

Some robots already work on other planets without human beings, and sometimes decisions are made alone. For example, the curiosity of NASA Rover is exploration An area called Gale Crate on Mars and independently performs some of its sciences without human inputs.

“You can direct Rover to take pictures of a scene, and to search for rocks that may suit science’s priorities for the task, then shoot independently laser on this goal,” says Dr. Westsaf.

“You can get a reading of a certain rock music and send it to the ground while humans are still asleep.”

But Rover’s capabilities like curiosity are slowly limited. Another thing they cannot compete with. That is, people have an additional reward for inspiring people on Earth in a way that machines cannot.

“Inspiration is an incisive thing,” says Professor Cots.

Leroy Chiao, a retired NASA astronaut who went on three trips to space in the 1990s and Finets on NASA’s space shuttle and to the International Space Station. “Humans are associated when humans do something.

“The general public is excited about automatic missions. But I expect the first person to be greater than the first moon’s first landing.”

Humans have not traveled beyond the Earth’s orbit since December 1972, when the last mission of Apollo visited the moon. NASA hopes to return humans to this contract through its ARTEMIS program.

the The next task You will see four astronauts fly around the moon in 2026. You will see another task, which is scheduled to be held in 2027, the land of NASA space on the moon.

The Chinese space agency, at the same time, you also want to send astronauts to the moon.

Elsewhere, Elon Musk, CEO of the American SpaceX company, has space plans. He said that his long -term plan is to create a colony on Mars, where humans can land.

His idea is to use Starship, a vast new vehicle that his company develops, to transfer up to 100 people there at a time, with the aim of being there One million people on Mars in 20 years.

“Musk argues that we need to move to Mars because this may be a backup copy of humanity if something disastrous occurs on the ground.” “If you bought this argument, sending people to space is necessary.”

However, there are great unknown persons about living on Mars, including countless technical challenges that they say are still unleashed.

“Perhaps children cannot develop in that environment,” she says. “there [are] Moral questions [like this] We do not have answers to it.

“I think we should slow down.”

Lord Reese has a vision of its own, in which human and entertaining exploration may merge to the extent that humans themselves are part of the partial machine to deal with harsh environments. “I can imagine that they will use all genetic modification techniques, additional materials, etc., to deal with very hostile environments,” he says.

“We may have a new type that will be happy to live on Mars.”

Until then, however, humans are likely to continue their small steps in the universe, on a long way by automated explorers in front of them.

The highest credit image: NASA

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