From smarter satellites to student-designed robots exploring the moon, some of the work at the School of Computer Science is simply out of this world. For 40 years, SCS has played an integral role in space exploration, leveraging interdisciplinary partnerships across academia, government and industry for projects that span myriad research areas, including satellite efficiency, rover navigation, intraspace communication and more.

The latest issue of The LINK, the magazine of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, is now online. This special edition highlights our past, present and future contributions in space and the people — students, faculty, researchers and alumni — who have made them possible.

Stories in this issue include:

CMU Heads to the Moon: Two SCS rovers are bound for the moon. Iris, designed and operated by students, and MoonRanger, ushering in a new level of autonomy, lead the way in modern-day planetary exploration.

A Legacy of Research, Exploration and Implementation in Space: A selected timeline marking some of the important SCS- and CMU-led initiatives in space, as well as thoughts from leaders on the legacy of many years of work and the exciting events still to come.

Moon Buddy, Mission Control and Math: Communication is key, especially in space exploration. Students and faculty members are creating new ways for astronauts to connect with one another in space, for people on Earth to stay in touch with rovers and robots off planet, and for securing data in space.

Space Filter: A team from CMU aims to make satellites smarter, curating downloads and using machine learning to triage the data to work smarter within the satellite's limited bandwidth instead of leaving the task to those on the ground.

Simulating Gravity: To counter the adverse health effects that humans face when subject to zero-gravity for long periods of time and make long-term space exploration viable, SCS researchers are designing and deploying a folded structure large enough to simulate Earth's gravity in space when it spins.

A New Kind of Space Race: Robotics Institute researchers have partnered with academia and industry to explore ways robots can be put to use in space, particularly how they can help extend the lives of satellites to reduce space "junk."

Automated Science in Space: CMU researchers have developed a new approach to balancing the risks and scientific value of sending planetary rovers into dangerous situations.

Mars 2020 and Beyond: Three SCS alumni with instrumental roles in the Mars 2020 mission discuss its accomplishments and challenges, and share their thoughts on where space program scientists might set their sights next.