A NASA researcher wants to create an AI chatbot to enable astronauts to communicate with their spacecraft. The exclusive report from The Guardian shares Dr. Larissa Suzuki’s bold plan to make spaceships more intuitive to control. This ChatGPT-like program will constantly monitor the vessel and update space researchers when needed.
Artificial intelligence is changing the Earth and will soon change outer space. This NASA project will create a new purpose for AI research and development. It will improve how we learn about heavenly bodies, expanding our understanding of our world and the universe.
In other words, Dr. Suzuki might be on the brink of a major astronomy breakthrough. This article will explain what NASA plans to do with artificial intelligence in outer space. I will explain how this chatbot would improve space exploration.
What would be the features of the NASA chatbot?
Dr. Larissa Suzuki spoke at a space communication conference at the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers in London on June 27. The Guardian reported how the NASA computer scientist outlined the space org’s AI plans.
She said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is developing a ChatGPT-style interface enabling astronauts to talk to their spacecraft. Also, it wants to create AI-powered robots that will assist mission controllers in exploring distant planets and moons.
Do these ideas seem fantastical and unrealistic? Dr. Larissa Suzuki says, “It’s really not like science fiction anymore.” Also, she elaborated on this NASA chatbot project:
“The idea is to get to a point where we have conversational interactions with space vehicles, and they [are] also talking back to us on alerts, interesting findings they see in the solar system and beyond.”
The researcher wants to build an interplanetary AI communications network that will detect glitches and inefficiencies as they occur. Moreover, she hopes it will become advanced enough to fix them automatically.
“We cannot send an engineer up in space whenever a space vehicle goes offline or its software breaks somehow,” she explained. More importantly, it would have a NASA chatbot enabling spacecraft to execute voice commands.
Thus, astronauts wouldn’t need to refer to cumbersome technical manuals for information. Dr. Suzuki is also investigating how machine-learning robots could collect and analyze data in space.
These machines would search for water or specific minerals on distant planets. Also, they would share knowledge to continue studying without relaying data to Earth.
“The spacecraft do collaborative updates based on what’s seen by other spacecraft. It’s a technique to do distributed learning – to learn in a collaborative way without bringing all that data to the ground,” she added.
What are the other recent NASA projects?
The exclusive Guardian report did not specify when the NASA chatbot will be ready. However, the space research group has been developing other projects.
On June 25, 2023, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog began. It is a 378-day mission where four crew members will stay inside a simulation of a Mars-like environment.
It will mimic conditions they may face while inhabiting the red planet. These include simulated spacewalks, resource limitations, communication delays, and equipment failures.
NASA says the CHAPEA mission will “assess human health and performance in relation to Mars.” Moreover, Julie Kramer-White, Director of Engineering at NASA, explained:
“These long-duration mission simulations really bring Mars closer to us. They help us realize Mars is within our reach as we try to address the issues and challenges that will face us in these long missions.”
In other words, the project prepares researchers to settle on Mars. Meanwhile, NASA also made a breakthrough in spaceship water recovery with the Environmental Control and Life Support System.
The ECLSS converts 98% of astronaut sweat, breath, and urine into safe drinking water. Consequently, it could significantly help them consume resources efficiently during space missions.
Conclusion
NASA scientist Dr. Larissa Suzuki plans to create a NASA chatbot that functions like ChatGPT. It will enable spacecraft to follow astronaut voice commands.
As a result, this AI program could make space vessels more intuitive to control. More importantly, it would detect malfunctions and errors to fix them immediately.
Soon, artificial intelligence will significantly change the Earth and beyond. Discover more possibilities of artificial intelligence and other innovations at Inquirer Tech.