The Atlantic Council Likes Space Robots

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Christopher White from Pixabay.

If you have not heard of the Atlantic Council you are not alone.

The Atlantic Council defines itself defines itself as a nonpartisan organization that is “…an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders.”

So what does it have to say about the current state of the US space program? It seems to want more robots, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. It also claims China is moving in this direction.

In a recent article, the Atlantic Council proposed the following to improve the space program for this century:

  • Modernize NASA’s organizational structure by integrating the robotic and human initiatives;
  • Reformulate NASA’s Artemis campaign by changing its plan so that early flights are robotic, with work and preparations being performed by intelligent machines ahead of crewed missions; and
  • Equip lunar robots with virtual reality so intelligent space exploration machines could enable scientists, engineers, and others on Earth to become active participants in the exploration of the Moon, distant planets, and beyond.

Fortunately, the article is not recommending the removal of humans from space flight, but rather the use of technology to enhance these missions, reduce overall costs, and broaden public and scientific support. This would include the expansion of private sector involvement. It’s not a bad idea as NASA struggles with the Artemis mission and potentially other missions due to budget cuts.

Of course, the amazing telescopes that we are trying to maintain and expand upon are already top of the line technology that have expanded public support for astronomy, but this has come at great cost (exceeding cost projections) and has not been protected from budget cuts.

A mix of approaches sounds fine, but a reliable flow of funds with clear expectations also sound nice. We are not going to get that with this White House based upon what we have seen so far. Just finding a leader for NASA that is palatable to the White House is proving impossible.

New ideas should always be welcome, but what is really essential at the moment is stable leadership. Without that all other efforts will go nowhere.