Some former NASA astronauts opt for space-related companies

HOUSTON (AP) — Former astronaut Carl Walz, who logged 231 days in space during four flights, was trained to operate the robotic arm on the International Space Station.

The Houston Chronicle reports Walz, now in the private sector, and his company are developing autonomous robots that could one day repair satellites or prepare Mars for human arrivals.

The work could solve communication lags or disconnection issues that plague human-controlled space robotics.

"If you can figure out a way to enable the robot to understand what they're doing to automate some of those tasks, you can accomplish things even with breaks in communications," said Walz, director of business development for space systems at Oceaneering.