4 Robots help NASA explore the solar system and the universe. Spacecraft that explore other worlds, like the moon or Mars, are all robotic. These robots include rovers and landers on the surface of other planets. The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are examples of this kind of robot. Other robotic spacecraft fly by or orbit other worlds and study them from space. Cassini, the spacecraft that studies Saturn and its moons and rings, is this type of robot. The Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft now traveling outside Earth's solar system are also robots.
5 Unlike the robotic arm on the space station, these robots are autonomous. That means they can work by themselves. They follow the commands people send. People use computers and powerful antennas to send messages to the spacecraft. The robots have antennas that receive the messages and transfer the commands telling them what to do into their computers. Then the robot will follow the commands.
How Does NASA Use Robotic Airplanes?
6 NASA uses many airplanes called UAVs. UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicle. These planes do not carry pilots aboard them. Some UAVs are flown by remote control by pilots on the ground. Others can fly themselves, with only simple directions. UAVs provide many benefits. The planes can study dangerous places without risking human life. For example, UAVs might be used to take pictures of a volcano. A UAV also could fly for a very long time without the need to land. Since they do not carry a pilot, UAVs also can be smaller or more lightweight than they would with a person aboard.
How Can Robots Help Astronauts?
7 NASA is developing new robots that could help people in space. For example, one of these ideas is called Robonaut. Robonaut looks like the upper body of a person. It has a chest, head and arms. Robonaut could work outside a spacecraft, performing tasks like an astronaut on a spacewalk. With wheels or another way of moving, Robonaut also could work on the moon, or another world. Robonaut could work alongside astronauts and help them.
8 Another robot idea is called SPHERES. These are small robots that look a little like soccer balls. The current SPHERES are being used on the space station to test how well they can move in microgravity. Someday, similar robots could fly around inside the station helping astronauts.
9 NASA also is studying the possibility of other robots. For example, a small version of the station's robotic arm could be used inside the station. A robot like that might help in an emergency. If an astronaut were seriously hurt, a doctor on Earth could control the robotic arm to perform surgery. This technology could help on Earth, as well. Doctors could use their expertise to help people in remote locations.
10 Robots also can be used as scouts to check out new areas to be explored. Scout robots can take photographs and measure the terrain. This helps scientists and engineers make better plans for exploring. Scout robots can be used to look for dangers and to find the best places to walk, drive or stop. This helps astronauts work more safely and quickly. Having humans and robots work together makes it easier to study other worlds.
"What is Robotics?" NASA. Public domain.
Driving on Mars
by Charlene Brusso
For hundreds of years, humans have longed to explore Mars. And now we can—thanks to robots.
Who Goes There?
1 Scientists have still not found a way to send human beings safely to Mars, but three robot missions have already explored its dusty red surface. The first was the Viking mission, in 1976. Viking landed two probes on the surface, while two orbiters mapped the planet from space. The probes didn’t move around, but they took pictures, analyzed rocks and dust for signs of life, and measured Mars’s atmosphere and winds.
2 The next visitor was Sojourner, in 1997. Sojourner had better science instruments and could travel a third of a mile (500 meters) on six sturdy wheels. A small computer helped it avoid obstacles and navigate. But because batteries were heavy and expensive to launch, Sojourner was solar powered and ran only during Martian daylight.
3 The most recent visitors are the hard-working twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. Each is a miniature mobile laboratory, solar powered, with small batteries so they can keep going at night. Originally expected to last for just 90 days, these two hardy rovers have surprised scientists by going steadily for many years. Spirit finally shut down in early 2010, but Opportunity has traveled more than 19 miles (30 kilometers) and is still exploring!
Take Me to Your Leader
4 So, how do you drive a roving robot on far-away Mars? Very carefully.
5 All of the Mars rovers are able to do some things on their own, but they also need directions from humans. It takes 20 minutes for a radio signal from Earth to reach Mars and 20 minutes more for a reply, so scientists tell the rover to do a long list of tasks before it reports back again for new instructions. Scientists must direct the robot carefully, so each task happens in the right order and doesn’t confuse the robot or get its equipment into awkward positions that are hard to fix.
6 As they drive around, the rovers occasionally stop and take a circle of photographs all around them. If scientists spot an interesting rock or crater, they send a command to the rover to drive to it.
7 When Earth sends a command to, say, "go to that rock," the rover's own computer plots the best way to get there. As it drives it constantly checks the path for hazards. If the way seems clear, it moves ahead; if not, it alters its route before setting off again.
8 If the robot does get stuck, onboard computers try to solve the problem, revving the motors on each wheel to try to move the rover out of trouble. If that doesn't work, the rover sends a radio message to Earth for help.
9 Once it reaches its target, the rover extends its robotic arm and gets to work. It uses a magnifying camera to examine samples and sends images back to Earth, where scientists decide what the rover should do. They might ask it to collect soil or use its drill to break off a piece of rock, then analyze the sample with its spectrometer to see what the rock is made of. Once they get the results, scientists can ask for more tests, or send the rover somewhere new.
10 Scientists direct the rover using a set of commands that the rover is programmed to understand. For example, the command "Collect Sample" tells the rover to do a series of simpler tasks: "Extend Arm," "Grasp," and "Deposit." And each of those tasks is made of still simpler tasks: for example, "Grasp" tells the robot to slowly close its "hand" around the sample, a bit at a time, until sensors report that the hand is gripping it with a particular force.
Curiosity for Mars
11 Scientists are now preparing a new rover named Curiosity to visit Mars in 2012. With more powerful instruments, scientists hope to learn still more about Mars’s history and whether the planet once supported life. Whatever they discover, there should be more than enough mysteries on Mars to satisfy Curiosity.
Which of the following statements accurately describes a scientific fact presented by both authors?
Responses
Robotic arms are used to move space debris, catch spacecraft for repair, and help astronauts move in space.
Robotic arms are used to move space debris, catch spacecraft for repair, and help astronauts move in space.
Communication between scientists and robots uses commands that take 40 minutes to send back and forth.
Communication between scientists and robots uses commands that take 40 minutes to send back and forth.
The new rover, Curiosity, has more powerful instruments because scientists still have more to learn about Mars.
The new rover, Curiosity, has more powerful instruments because scientists still have more to learn about Mars.
Space exploration depends on humans communicating with autonomous robots through innovative technology.
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The statement that accurately describes a scientific fact presented by both authors is:
Space exploration depends on humans communicating with autonomous robots through innovative technology.
This statement is supported by both passages, as they discuss how robots (like rovers and UAVs) operate autonomously while also requiring commands and directives from Earth, emphasizing the communication aspect in the context of space exploration.
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