Robotics in Space. Ian Taylor MP. Co-Chair, UK Parliamentary Space Committee VIIIth European Interparliamentary Space Conference

Transcription

1 Robotics in Space Ian Taylor MP Co-Chair, UK Parliamentary Space Committee VIIIth European Interparliamentary Space Conference Brussels 12/14 June

2 Men (and Women) in Space Very associated with cold war prestige; still heavily government dependent; big and cumbersome projects; questionable scientific value; considerable technology benefit. Existing spaceships have been very complicated and not robust enough to carry commercial passengers; also ground launch is polluting. Scope for commercial sub-orbital and eventually lunar space flights - not mainly dependent on governments 2

3 Human carriers What comes after the shuttle? NASA s use of Russian Soyuz spacecraft for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) Civilian trips to the ISS by Russian craft. 3

4 Human Commercial Spaceflight Real future excitement for humans is space tourism e.g. Virgin Galactic, using a space craft with adjustable wings for easy re-entry and powered by an inert nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and rubber fuel. How will Burt Rutan s technology evolve? Will governments permit/encourage private sector initiatives? 4

5 Robots lead Phase out of the Shuttle and the success of SpaceShipOne mark a turning point in manned spaceflight technology developments (e.g. Moore s law) continue to make robotic satellites more cost effective UK has high expertise in and support for Aurora; XMM-Newton; SWIFT missions Can European companies benefit from DARPA s efforts to stimulate ideas for planetary rovers? 5

6 ROVs An ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) can be: an unmanned spacecraft that remains in flight, a lander that makes contact with an extraterrestrial body and operates from a stationary position, or a rover that can move over terrain once it has landed 6

7 Robotic variations Current plans for development of space robots concentrate on three main uses of remote manipulation in space: servicers, cranes, and rovers. Servicers are humanised, multi-arm, remote manipulators which are used for servicing and assembly. Cranes, like the RMS currently operated on Space Shuttle missions, are long single arms used for repositioning large masses. Rovers are mobile platforms for transporting payloads on planetary servicers and extraterrestrial surfaces. 7

8 Lunar missions activity on moon more cost effective via robots given only three second time delay with earth tele-robotics astronomical observatory on the far side of the moon is a scientifically interesting objective of lunar missions; could be linked via cable to near-side or to relay satellites in lunar orbit use of robotic exploration of the moon to assess the need for man-in-the-loop on Mars 8

9 Mars and beyond There is intense UK public interest in human spaceflight and in planetary exploration - but affordably and cost/benefit assessed Mars may need man-in-the-loop given communication time-elapse But, robotics could achieve 95% of the objectives for 25% of the cost - especially with new developments such as human quality tactile robotic sensors Human risks in prolonged space flights 9

10 Questions Was Beagle 2 worthwhile for the cost of an astronaut s glove? Is the ISS $100bn well spent and well used? Has ISS taken all the money which might have stimulated human space exploration? Are the governments of ESA members really going to fund manned flights in space? 10

11 To boldly go Robotic craft can go into our planetary system well beyond the scope of human flight Robotic missions to inspect the sun, the outer planets and their moons and atmospheres, asteroids etc., must continue to be funded. 11

12 Next Steps? 12