We are nearing the launch of the long-awaited Artemis 1 mission, which will be the first major test toward man’s return to the Moon. This time it will proceed unmanned, but there will be an iPad on board the Space Launch System.
The reason, according to 9to5Mac, is that tests related to the Amazon Alexa voice assistant will be conducted inside the Orion spacecraft. What is the goal? To demonstrate that voice commands could improve astronauts’ stay in Space by quickly offering information related to, for example, spacecraft orientation.
The system, also created in collaboration with NASA and Lockheed Martin, is called Callisto. So in the central console area of Orion there will be a tablet and hardware customized for the occasion. It will take advantage of the WebEx video conferencing service to transmit audio and video from the Mission Control Center, then go through Alexa to get a response to the transmitted audio. How can this all take place? Through NASA’s Deep Space Network and a database related to the spacecraft.
We are, in short, getting ready to see a space conversation with Alexa. The Callisto experiment certainly turns out to be interesting, although let’s remember that the main goal of Artemis 1 is to demonstrate that you have all the technologies available to return to the Moon with a human crew. While the launch of Artemis 1 is expected to take place soon, namely on August 29, 2022, Artemis 2, which is expected to be the first manned mission, is scheduled for 2024.
