Lukas Aeschlimann Zahir Robb STAR Prep Academy Essay: How Humans and Robots Can Work Together

to Explore Mars Many people believe that humans and robots are complete opposites, with different origins, attributes, skills, or abilities. Like night and day, or human and Martian. How could such opposites work together to do anything, especially something as complex and delicate as exploring another planet, Mars? Quite smoothly. Humans and robots are not necessarily opposite, but rather dependent on one another for numerous tasks in varied situations. Humans and robots together provide more options than would be possible if you settled for just one of them. In other words, there are myriad ways in which humans and robots can work together to explore Mars. In fact, they have a symbiotic relationship that is already at work helping to do just that. One example of this symbiosis is in the remote operation of the Mars rovers, mobile robots placed on the surface by immobile robots called landers. The humans remotely operating the rovers from Earth depend on them to gather scientific data and images of Mars. The rovers, on the other hand, depend on the humans commanding them in order to move and interact with their environment. This collaboration between humans on Earth and robots on Mars is producing new discoveries almost daily about the chemistry, weather,

and geography of Mars. Currently, JPL and NASA are working together with robots to pave the way for humans to go to Mars. For example, two missions, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the 2001 Mars Odyssey, are searching for usable resources of a specific substance: water. Water is, essentially, the key to life. Humans can go for long periods of time without food, but can go only for a significantly shorter period of time without water. While water has been found already on Mars in the form of ice, scientists have not found resources of it that they could extract liquid water from, or figured out a way to convert it from the ice. The 2001 Mars Odyssey is also examining Marss radiation. If we understand the radiation of Mars, we can know what kind of effects on astronauts and their equipment the UV radiation from the sun, unhampered thanks to the lack of ozone on Mars, would have. Its not just the radiation itself we have to worry about. Superoxides have been found in the soil on Mars. A superoxide is a compound that attacks organic molecules when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, creating potential complications to long-term habitation on Mars. It is possible that there are additional exotic hazards, and if so, we need to know. Successful scientific exploration can only be achieved by anticipating as many surprises as realistically possible. Orbiters other than the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are helping us understand Marss geology and climate, due to their birds eye view

of Mars. Marss crater and volcano filled geology and its dust-storm generating climate should both be understood incredibly well in order to find an optimal landing site and to prepare for any surprises the weather of Mars might throw the astronauts way. The orbiters can help us gain that kind of understanding. Now lets imagine, within the restrictions of reality, how humans and robots will work together when we eventually do send humans to Mars. I think that their symbiotic relationship will be even more effective. A human on Mars could control and adjust the robot better than a human on Earth because they would have a better view of the environment, or of any problem encountered by the robot. If a dust storm covers the robot in dust, causing the camera to be blocked, people on Earth would not be able to properly manage the situation. A human on Mars, on the other hand, would be right there, could see the problem much better, and thus be able either to direct people on Earth in how to operate the robot, or simply remove the dust themselves. The presence of robots would also make it easier for humans to do science. When a human first arrives on Mars, acquiring the water from previously discovered sources would be of prime importance. Instead of a human doing the job, a robot could be sent to find and extract the water. This would allow the human to start conducting scientific research that much earlier. Furthermore, robots could be used to perform other ongoing tasks related to basic survival, which

would allow the human research to go much more efficiently. The presence of the orbiters would also make it easier to communicate with, and send information to, mission control. The human could send signals up to the orbiter, which would then relay them to mission control cleanly and efficiently, as they have done in the past with the rovers. In addition, the orbiters could also be used to watch for dust storms and alert mission control and the astronauts, so that they can prepare and avoid potentially lethal complications. Also, remember those landers? They could be outfitted with the proper technology to allow them to do sample returns before the humans are ready to leave. In conclusion, when we humans join the robots on Mars, the robots will have already reduced the potential hardships and hazards for humans. Even if there are no Martians to greet us, at least there will be robots. And while robots, as far as we know, do not feel loneliness, humans certainly do. To help humans deal with the psychology of feeling isolated on Mars, perhaps robot pets can be sent along. The future of Mars exploration and human-robot cooperation is full of possibilities. We just have to make use of them.