Send in the Bots

The US should not fund a mission to Mars, but private companies should definitely keep exploring space. These missions should not be done with humans however. With AI and VR technological advances it would be possible to explore Mars without the risk to human life. Of course, the missions being run by private companies, the decision to use people, or machines would be up to the CEOs, and not the law. But with costs and efficiency, the businessmen will make the best, safest, business choices.

Technically we can see the advantages to using robots and AI as finding the most habitable locations and beginning construction, prior to human colonization. “Chien pointed out that an interstellar mission would be a perfect use of AI. It could figure out by itself what type of planets are in a system, how to navigate the craft into orbit, what types of data to collect, and where to deploy probes, if the world looked habitable,” (Howell). The transition from Earthling to Martian can be jarring, but made easier if the planet is already inhabited by artificially intelligent robots, “Before humans can land on Mars, the planet needs infrastructure, such as housing and laboratories, which need to be built by robots,” (VVT). This would not be far from what we are using AI for now anyway. AI has the potential to think, and to communicate much quicker than people could back to earth. “NASA’s Mars rovers are already equipped with artificial intelligence, which makes some decisions independently,” (Howell). There would be no harm to people with this option, and it would only be an adjustment from what the robots are already currently accomplishing.

Putting together a manned mission to mars is not only dangerous for people, but also financially risky. Private business has proved time and again that it prefers the lowest risk, lowest dollar, with the highest outcome. “You can now put together a pretty decent unmanned mission for a few hundred million euros (dollars), but you are usually talking about many billions for a manned mission,” (Mars Daily). The solution is AI. At least until infrastructure is built, robots have to be the answer. For private companies, AI can explore and colonize in less than half the cost with would take to have humans doing the same work. “Adding a human being to an exploratory space mission boosts the cost roughly a hundred-fold,” (Mars Daily).

Humans as well have all too human problems. We are not engineered and programed the same way as robots. We are complicated biological creatures with psychological problems, yet untested on Mars. “Individuals develop ‘space dementia’. Orbiting astronauts have even become clinically depressed and panicked at psychosomatic illnesses,” (Jeffery). They have even suggested all female crews as to lessen the possibility of murder and suicide more common in men. With mixed gendered crews there is the possibility of creating first “Martian” life, and the unknown repercussions of that. Beyond the psychological issues the physical issues itself can halt the process. “Mars is a dead, cold, barren planet on which no living thing is known to have evolved, and which harbors no breathable air or oxygen, no liquid water and no sources of food, nor conditions favorable for producing any,” (Regis). Humans then would have to produce all of this themselves, while fighting the internal struggle of potentially never seeing home again.

Artificial Intelligence and robotics are, for now, the way to go for exploring Mars, and the potential colonization of the Red Planet. With the potential dangers to humans, psychological and physical, having robots first build the planet to be sustainable for life would be the best option, and at a hundred times less the cost for humans, this would be the most reasonable solution for private businesses to take. The argument of humans as the greatest pioneers, and using history as its evidence is no longer valid when considering that those prior human conquests were accomplished on Earth. Planetary exploration will require more than man, it will require multiple forms of intelligence and capabilities. AI robots should be, and will be, the first colonizers of Mars.

Works Cited

Howell, Elizabeth. “NASA Has Big Plans For AI On Mars and Beyond.” Seeker. August 2017. <www.seeker.com/space/exploration/nasa-has-big-plans-for-ai-on-mars-and-beyond>.

Jeffery, Stephen. “Cosmic Mood-Swings” Science & Technology, The Economist. June 2007.

Writers, Staff. “Are Manned Missions Needed to Explore Mars and Beyond” marsdaily.com. September 2007.

Regis, Ed. “Let’s Not Move To Mars.” The New York Times. The New York Times, September 2015. <http://nyti.ms/1Ytzz3Q>.

Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). “Robots for future human missions to Mars.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 October 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151028054918.htm>.

Writers, Staff. “Are Manned Missions Needed to Explore Mars and Beyond” marsdaily.com. September 2007.

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