matthen:

Computer programs you can have a conversation with could be very useful in space. Currently, NASA uses a piece of software called Clarissa on the International Space Station.  Astronauts can explain what procedure they want to do, and Clarissa will provide step-by-step instructions. Before Clarissa, this would have had to be the job of a second astronaut.  Spoken dialogue systems could also be useful on long-haul flights to Mars, where the time delay makes conversations with an expert back home infeasible. However we should think twice about giving them access to the locks on the pod bay doors.  [more] [image: NASA Ames]