Why is NASA sending Robots to distant exoplanets and moons?

A new autonomous robot named BRUIE by NASA was just unveiled. the robot is going to be sent on a scavenger hunt prowling for extraterrestrial life in the ocean.

The robot looks similar to a remote-controlled car with more than two wheels an axle connecting them. These wheels have the ability to cling to the bottom of a layer of ice; a technical skill that NASA hopes will increase its search radius for signs of life beneath the surface of oceans on distant exoplanets and moons.

BRUIE has been busy doing trial runs in the Arctic and Antarctica as engineers state that these regions could be considered close to extreme conditions which the robot will encounter in other worlds. The University of Western Australia and NASA have both collaborated in BRUIE.

In a press release, UWA engineer Dan Arthur mentioned, “BRUIE, a buoyant rover with two independent wheels, is designed to drive along the underside of ice crust and uses onboard instruments to detect compounds that are of interest to space scientists,” he further added, “In the future, we will be reliant on technologies like BRUIE to enable the exploration of these ocean worlds and beyond.”

Arthur also suggests that BRUIE could be sent on a mission to Europa which is the moon of Jupiter. Scientists think of it as a potential candidate for hosting life. This could be done after NASA’s fly-by missions scan the moon later on in this decade.

Arthur suggested, “Europa Clipper could be followed by a subsequent mission,”  “which will aim to land on the surface of Europa and deploy an evolution of BRUIE, beginning the search for life on the icy moon.”