Space exploration’s next frontier

The International Space Station with the Space Shuttle Atlantis (docked on the right) and a Russian Soyuz (far left). In the foreground is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)experiment, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector designed to use the unique environment of space to advance knowledge of the universe. —NASA/TNS

As Japan's second female astronaut to fly up in the Space Shuttle Discovery, Naoko Yamazaki didn’t expect to spend a quarter of her time dusting, feeding mice and doing other menial jobs.

It can cost more than US$430mil (RM1.8bil) a year to keep an astronaut in orbit, according to three-year-old startup called Gitai Inc. It’s only possible to keep humans alive in outer space because of the money and effort poured into ensuring their safety. One way to bring down the cost and risks is to send an avatar – a remotely controlled robot.