Now the NASA Curiosity Rover can zap Mars rocks with a laser on its own. Like any good sci-fi movie, aliens may have helped this process along. The fact NASA has made a machine that makes decisions is innovative. And quite frightening. The Mars rover may be inching closer to artificial intelligence. And Martians may be looking on. This could lead to a Red Planet home of machines long before humans ever step foot on the planet.
NASA AI allows Mars rover to zap rocks with lasers?
The near AI upgrade of Curiosity has laser-firing capabilities. Capabilities right out of any Mars movie. The Red Planet rover is not only making decisions, it is also firing lasers at rocks. The data collected by the lasers are then sent to NASA. This is all happening through the use of the rover’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) laser. The rover can fire laser pulses at rocks, and then record light signatures of chemical elements. This upgrade lets Curiosity pick and choose its target. All without the help of scientists and engineers on Earth. How did this upgrade happen? Were aliens involved?
AI tech from aliens may be powering NASA research on Mars
Tara Estlin, a lead tech at the AEGIS development team at JPL said the laser firing capabilities of Curiosity keeps NASA in the loop. Estlin also noted that it might cut back on data relay delays between Mars and Earth. However, humans still have a say in the Red Planet rover’s ChemCam targets. And the data will help scientists understand how the Martian planet evolved. This may help future colonization efforts. Or it could possibly lead to finding evidence of aliens.
What is next for space rovers, and will the AI rover make a deal with aliens?
The rise of innovation over the last decade could put humans in jeopardy. Mars has been the object of colonization desire for NASA and private space companies. However, if machines may become intelligent enough to turn the tables on humans. Aliens and machines may turn the soon to be Martian home into a human prison. The increase in UFO sightings around Earth and the ISS would suggest something is on the rise. Possibly a machine alien apocalypse.
Want more Mars inspired sci-fi in your life?
If you are looking for more Mars inspired sci-fi, the Robinson Crusoe on Mars: The Criterion Collection is amazing. This Red Planet reel directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West, and The Woolly Monkey is all the sci-fi crack you need on a Saturday night. Available in multiple formats, including Blue-ray, you can pick this aliens meets NASA classic DVD up for $25.59 on Amazon.
