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November 1, 2015

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The final frontier for man, and machines

By Li Anlan | November 1, 2015, Sunday | Print Edition

“EVERY kid wants to be an astronaut at some point in their childhood,” said Roger D. Launius, former chief historian for NASA and now the associate director of collections and curatorial affairs for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

On Thursday, Launius paid a visit to NYU Shanghai, where he discussed a number of space-related topics, including new advances in robot technology, human space travel and the possible existence of alien life.

As Launius explained, there is currently a debate about whether humans or robots should be used to explore space. According to the historian though, NASA’s position is that humans and robots should be used to explore space together.

“I think we should send all the robots we can come up with. They’ve been very efficient in exploring the solar system,” Launius said.

Of course, the key issue with human astronauts is that we as a species are adapted to survive above sea-level on this planet — and nowhere else. In the not-too-distant-future though, humans equipped with robotic parts or machines possessing human qualities could help transcend biological boundaries to space travel.

Launius noted that humans have already developed myriad devices to modify the body, from simple eyeglasses to pacemakers and artificial hearts.

“To have a fuller life or to survive at all, we are becoming a species of cyborgs. It’s a short step between making body modifications and potentially changing the human body to make it survive in space,” he said.

Then comes perhaps the biggest question of all — are we alone in the universe?

“I don’t think (aliens) are visiting us, but I do think they are out there. Whether we can communicate with them is anybody’s guess,” Launius said.

About Roger D. Launius

Born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1954, Launius grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Graceland College with a degree in history and received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.

He worked as a civilian historian with the United States Air Force from 1982 to 1990 and served as chief historian of the NASA from 1990 to 2002.

Launius has written or edited more than 20 books on aerospace history, including “Exploring the Solar System: The History and Science of Planetary Probes,” “Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space” and “Frontiers of Space Exploration.”

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