What if the universe explores itself — not with travelers, but with machines? T he Most Rational Way to Explore a Vast Universe Interstellar distances are unforgiving. Biology is fragile. Time is immense. So if an advanced civilization wanted to explore, map, or study the galaxy, it likely wouldn’t send crews. It would send machines — autonomous, durable, and capable of enduring deep time. That simple engineering logic leads to one of the most compelling ideas in theoretical