NASA is about to send iPads to the Moon's orbit

NASA will equip an iPad on the Artemis 1 flight to test the voice assistant system, assisting astronauts on the mission back to the Moon.

Artemis 1, the project that paved the way for NASA's mission to return to the Moon, will take off at the end of August. Even without a crew, a special device will be included in the mission. destined to be Apple's iPad.

The main goal of Artemis 1 is to effectively test the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft's crew compartment. In addition, NASA also equipped iPads to test Callisto support technology.

According to 9to5Mac, Callisto was developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin, combining Alexa virtual assistant with Cisco's WebEx online conferencing platform.

The Callisto system on the Orion spacecraft includes an iPad.

During the Artemis 1 mission, NASA will demonstrate the ability to use virtual voice assistants to support the working and living process of astronauts on the Orion spacecraft. Besides the self-developed communication system, an iPad will appear to support the communication process.

"I can envision a future where astronauts can give voice commands to receive mission information, such as spacecraft direction, water volume or voltage," said Howard Hu, deputy head of the mission. Orion program director at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

"The sponsored system will be on Orion's central console, which will include a tablet for testing Cisco's WebEx video calling software, which transmits video and audio from the Mission Control Center at Johnson. Hardware and software customized by Lockheed Martin and Amazon were used to test Alexa, Amazon's voice-based virtual assistant that responds to transmitted audio," a NASA representative said.

Because Artemis 1 has no crew, NASA essentially uses the iPad as an astronaut to give Alexa commands in space, commands placed from Mission Control on the ground.

Specifically, ground personnel use cameras and microphones to transmit commands to the iPad. Their images and voices will be emitted from the tablet, through the WebEx video calling software, to the virtual assistant on the spacecraft.

Due to latency issues when transmitting signals over long distances, NASA has integrated Callisto with the Deep Space Network, and Amazon's internal data system (Local Voice Control) to query data.

On Orion, Alexa can access real-time spacecraft data. As a result, astronauts can ask questions like "Alexa, how fast is Orion moving?" and get instant feedback. Other commands such as asking about the cabin temperature, activating systems in the spacecraft can also be done by voice.

Illustration of Callisto on a spaceship.

This is not the first time Apple devices have been used for space missions. For example, NASA's Mars rover features a custom iMac G3 CPU. An Apple Watch Series 6 and iPhone 12 Pro were also sent aboard the SpaceX spacecraft to monitor astronaut health.

Flight Artemis 1 is scheduled to take off in late August on the Space Launch System (SLS), the world's most powerful rocket. The Orion spacecraft will be pushed into orbit around the Moon, staying in space for 42 days before returning to Earth.

According to NASA, the goal of the mission is to put the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon. In 2024, the astronauts will board Orion for the same trip. Through the project, NASA will explore many areas of the Moon, establishing the first permanent presence there.