i've always imagined using merged machine intelligence to guide evolution of symbiotic biologic and exoskeletal adaptations to space and into the far more diverse conditions of planetary and interstellar media.  human-like consciousness could be extended beyond the strata of molecular biology to maintain the capacity to communicate and stay connected to human origins, but even the anthropomorphic form need not be preserved depending on necessity.  would there be a requirement for shelter if your soma was perfectly adapted and adapting?   telepresence adaption bots could be dispersed to' feel out' new or evolving domains.   ideally, the adaptations would be reversible, but one could imagine that ideal easily sacrificed if greater freedoms and satisfactions are found in another thermodynamic/ergodic cellular aggregation realm.