NASA Suggests Nano Robots To Explore Mars

destinyland writes "'We're going to have to do extensive robotic exploration,' says the director of NASA's Ames Research Center, suggesting nanotechnology to build self-replicating robots on Mars. Genetically engineering extraction and construction microbes could 'grow' electrical components, and eventually convert carbon dioxide on Mars into oxygen. 'If we really want to settle Mars, and we don't want to have to carry millions of tons of equipment with us to duplicate the way we live on Earth, these technologies will be key.' This interview with Peter Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center, was just featured in the summer issue of H+ magazine, and he also argues that robots will be necessary to first survey Mars for underground microbes and protect the unique Martian biosphere, since it may contain clues about earth's own first life forms. In fact, given the water and carbon that's been discovered on Mars, the possibility of underground microbes is still considered real, and Worden argues that Mars 'may already be supporting life.'"

Oh no...

[Anonymous Coward]

The robots are going to colonize Mars and then will take over the Earth! I for welcome our new Martian robotic overlords.

REPLICATORS

[Anonymous Coward]

Get the Replicator disruptor and break the bonds that hold them together before they take over the plant!

Finally

[lxs]

It has taken a while, but finally NASA is taking my plans to use an army of nanobots to build pyramids on Mars seriously.

Re:Any other science fiction for us?

[Rik Sweeney]

Nope, which is why we're now going to try doing it on Mars. Makes sense to me.

News: NASA to create Replicators!

[alta]

Seriously, has no one at NASA watched stargate? I can tell you how this ends.

1. NASA creates self replicating nanobot to perform a useful function
2. life form develops beyond their wildest dreams.
3. replicators begin attacking humans.
4. replicators begin to LOOK like humans.
5. O'neal sticks his face in some mind alterning THING that implants all the knowledge of the ancients.
6. O'neal makes BFG 3000 that can blast them, but it's not enough.
7. Daniel and Carter link all the stargates, creating one big distributed network (internet?)
8. Ba'al, big evil Goa'uld, knows the secret code to set off super-weapon in the temple where the Jaffa live...
9. 'super radiation' kills travels through all the portals across the universe, killing off the replicators.

So, someone go ahead and tell NASA to cut it out.
Can't they see this ended badly?
Somehow this lead to a new storyline with the stupid Oreye, Ori, whatever they are.

Self-replicating robots...

[RobVB]

Maybe I've watched too much science fiction, but building self-replicating robots never seems to turn out quite the way you'd want. A few examples: the NS5 robots from I, Robot, the Decepticons - although those weren't man-made, and the Cylons. Is this something we want to recreate? Because humanity only survived the Cylon invasion thanks to the Galactica, so maybe NASA should think about building a few Battlestars before they go messing around with things they don't fully understand. Hey, maybe that's what the NSA is planning to work on in Utah?