New challenges for application of robotics and automation in space research

Summary form only given. The presentation will cover the challenges in two major NASA space missions: (1) Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), currently on way to planet Mars with expected landing there in early August this (2012) year after more than 8 months travel with 13 thousands km. hourly speed. The MSL will search for past or current life possibilities on Mars since existence of water -“the bed of life” - has been verified several times during previous NASA visits on Mars. (2) The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) under construction for several years and planned to start operation in 2016 in a heliocentric orbit at 1.5 million km distance from Earth. The JWST will carry out several searches in the cosmos, among them it will try to determine when did visible light first appear in the cosmos.