NASA’S Artemis 1 mission, slated for take off as soon as this March, aims to send an Orion spacecraft around the moon. The cabin will be largely empty, save for an interactive tablet that has been dubbed “Callisto,” which will sit propped up to face an astronaut mannequin. Callisto is essentially a touch-screen device that features reconfigured versions of Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, and Cisco’s teleconferencing platform WebEx. It’s all part of a collaboration between Amazon, Cisco and Lockheed Martin, which built the Orion capsule for NASA. The Callisto system aims to make astronauts’ jobs easier. For instance, they could use Alexa to adjust the cabin lighting while performing other tasks, or generally find long, arduous treks through space more enjoyable by being able to connect with loved ones back on Earth via WebEx, according to the companies. “We envision a future in which astronauts could turn to an onboard AI, for information and for assistance and ultimately for companionship,” said Aaron Rubenson, vice president of Amazon’s Alexa program. The companies behind Callisto said the system has been thoroughly tested on the ground, but a lot of questions about how it will function remain. And whether future astronauts might some day find it to be an asset remains unknown. No Artemis astronauts have tested the system, even on the ground, as of yet, according to the companies. It’s unclear, for example, how well the WebEx conferencing system will work. It should be noted that astronauts have always had the ability to communicate with people on the ground using existing communications systems. It’s currently possible to set up a video chat with astronauts on the International Space Station, for example. But making contact with a hypersonic spacecraft flying more than 200,000 miles away from Earth is difficult and — at some points in the journey — will be impossible. Questionable internet connectivity also presents challenges for Alexa. Amazon devices need an internet connection to process queries. But Rubenson said the version of Alexa used for the Callisto system has been reconfigured to function largely offline, capable of giving future astronauts live updates on their flight trajectory, for example — but the system would still need a connection if astronauts were to ask for up-to-date information on Earthly goings on. Alexa will be able to access real-time telemetry data and answer certain questions about the mission, like how fast the capsule is traveling. However, the AI will be able to control only one aspect of the Artemis 1 flight: the cabin lighting. Though, the Callisto team imagines a future in which the system could be configured to control other hardware, such as cameras.(SD-Agencies) | 