NASA engineers are testing "agent" software -- artificial humans that will interact with astronauts during space walks -- in Utah's Southeast Desert inside a mobile robot. The idea is that astronauts will talk to the software, while simultaneously the agent gives huge quantities of relevant data to mission control. This should improve the current system whereby Houston has to constantly pester already overloaded astronauts with questions. The research effort is headquartered at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, which is also here in Sunnyvale, Calif. (and which, in fact, I can see from my office).