Abstract
There has traditionally been a dichotomy in the space community regarding the efficacy of human versus robotic exploration of space. I argue that no such dichotomy is necessary, and that there is a natural and synergistic division of labour between man and machine, and that this division of labour will evolve in symbiotic fashion. The present state-of-the-art robotics technology is insufficient to replace the human in space, but is sufficient to act as a useful, even necessary, tool in aiding the astronaut in the conduct of useful work. I further argue that as robotics technology advances, the human will be further relieved to perform tasks best suited to human decision-making and flexibility that is unlikely in the near-term to be matched by autonomous or teleoperated machines.
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Ellery, A. A Robotics Perspective On Human Spaceflight. Earth, Moon, and Planets 87, 173–190 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013190908003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013190908003