Teams Of Scientists Work Behind The Scenes At The European Space Agency

NOORDWIJK, NETHERLANDS - APRIL 14: A general view of inside the Columbus replica / simulator as is attached to the International Space Station or ISS in the ESAs Planetary Robotics Lab, part of the Automation & Robotics Labs, together with the Telerobotics and Haptics Lab and the Orbital Robotics Lab at the European Space Agency on April 14, 2016 in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Space is such a harsh place for humans and machines that future exploration of our Solar System will most likely involve sending robotic explorers to 'test the waters' on uncharted planets before sending humans. The 'Multi-Purpose End To End Robotics Operations Network', or Meteron, project is preparing for that future. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)