Denmark's first astronaut has made history. Currently stationed at the International Space Station (ISS), Andreas Mogensen was able to remotely control a robot in the Netherlands. The experiment, nicknamed "Slam Dunk," is the first of its kind due to the innovative control system that the controls the Interact Centaur.

Unlike conventional joysticks, the controls of the Centaur rely on feeling. To illustrate, the Slam Dunk experiment, as it is called, required Mogensen to control the Centaur and place a peg into a very tight hole, according to Nature World Report. There was only 1/6^th of a millimeter in clearance. This amazing feat was done using a haptic interface. This interface recreates the sense of touch and allows the user to feel his or her way through various activities.

The experiment has many implications both on and off world, The Local reports. Sensitive experiments which require the human tactile sense can now be done to build on other worlds like Mars or the moon. Robotic arms which do not use kinesthetic communication of the haptic interface are dramatically less effective. On Earth, robots like the Centaur can be used in dangerous places like nuclear fusion reactors.

The new technology allows humans to "to project a human-like presence into the robots, to do human-like tasks on the surface," Andre Schiele, head of ESA's Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory, told AFP. ESA, which monitors Mogensen's progress, hopes to set up a launch pad on other planets before humans even set foot there. This needs to be done so that return to Earth will be possible.

The force-feedback technology behind Centaur uses an intricate network of satellites to bounce signals from the ISS down to the ground. The signals travel at 8 km/s and satellites are positioned around 36,000 km above Earth. The signals from Mogensen's fingers to the Centaur traveled a total of 89,477.50 miles-an impressive feat any way you look at it.