The Growing Role of Artificial Intelligence in Space Exploration

Tuesday 2 October 2018, 18:00 – 19:00
Location: Bremen Exhibition & Conference Center – DLR Hall

Artificial Intelligence is playing an increasing role in not only our everyday lives but also the space sector where AI has the potential to revolutionize almost every aspect of space exploration. This talk begins by describing a number of success stories highlighting the tremendous impact of Artificial Intelligence: over a dozen years of operations of the Autonomous Sciencecraft on EO-1 and Sensorweb tracking volcanoes, flooding and wildfires, Machine Learning to triage enormous data streams in radio (V-FASTR) and visual (i-PTF) astronomy, Automated Targeting onboard the MER and MSL rovers (AEGIS), automatic semantic indexing of science features (Mars Target Encyclopedia), and automation of data management for Rosetta Orbiter operations. Finally, we describe how AI is critical to future mission concepts to search for life beyond Earth: a Europa Submersible to hunt for life on under-ice oceans of Europa, and an interstellar mission to explore distant solar systems.