NASA tests robots seeking life in space

NASA Space Agency is testing an autonomous underwater robot for a plan to search for life in outer space. The experiment is being carried out at Aldama, in Mexico's Tamaulipas state.

The robot called DEPTHX has the ability to self-explore and map underwater caves. This robot will create three-dimensional maps, collecting water samples for scientists to study the chemical and biological properties of water.

From this study, NASA will design a future space probe to Jupiter's Europa Moon. According to supervisor Bill Stone, the probe is expected to be launched in 2015. After two years of travel, one year of preparation, the study of alien life may begin in 2019.

NASA funded the DEPTHX plan through the ASTEP program.

The ASTEP program aims to develop the technology necessary for a quest for life in other worlds and also to conduct scientific investigations of organisms that reside in extreme environments on Earth.

DEPTHX has the ability to self-explore and map underwater caves. (Photo: msnbc)

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