Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?

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On Episode 199 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Pascal Lee, who has thoughts on how and when robots may perform better — and more safely — than humans in space.

In this age of rapidly advancing AI and robotic technology, do we still need to send humans into space? The argument has long been that people can do things better and faster off-Earth, but the changing face of robotic tech has some feeling otherwise.

Tariq and Rod worry about how our mechanical masters might take our place in the cosmos. Pascal also reports on his recent experience with the National Academies’ report on the human exploration of Mars. Join us!

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Space news of the week

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About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What’s happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.