AI
Fellow astronaut Hazzaw Al Mansouri – who made history as the first Emirati in space in 2019 – echoes Nora’ s fascination with the tech revolution in orbit. He is quick, however, to emphasise that although astronauts have a firm focus on tech, there is very much a human element to space-accelerated technological advancements, noting humankind is core to space exploration.
“ When I was on board the ISS, I did a couple of experiments,” he shares.“ We take part in so many experiments onboard the station, including using us as test subjects and testing new systems.”
One said system is the Crew Interactive Mobile companion – more commonly known as CIMON. The floating headshaped AI robot is part of European
Space Agency( ESA) experiments and interacts with astronauts. This, Hazza explains, gives thosespace-borne“ a psychological interaction between astronaut and the machine” on longduration missions.
AI is also being used in automation in space, with the upcoming Lunar Gateway – a planned international space station orbiting the Moon – set to rely heavily on autonomous systems and AI as it won’ t be permanently inhabited. These technologies will, as a result, reduce the workload on astronauts and make deep space missions more feasible.
As well as this, the BioFabrication Facility( BFF) on the ISS is being used to explore the potential of 3D bioprinting in microgravity. technologymagazine. com 99