Astronauts assemble robot arm, Dextre, after 7-hour space walk

18 Mar 2008

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Washington: Space walking astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) have successfully assembled a space robot, weighing a tonne-and-a-half and intended for repair and servicing tasks outside the ISS, NASA said. The marathon assembly job required a space walk of nearly seven hours from two US astronauts.

The space robot is named Dextre and is yet another impressive Canadian contribution to ISS operations.

The astronauts, Rick Linnehan and Robert Behnken, put together the $200 million robot and attached a spare-parts platform, which will allow Dextre to handle duties outside the ISS, work that was handled only by astronauts uptill now.

The occasion was historic not only for the fact that the two astronauts stayed out in space for six hours and 53 minutes, but they did so on the 43rd anniversary of the very first walk in space by a human, when a Russian cosmonaut stepped outside his spacecraft for 12 minutes on 18 March 1965.

Dextre, a shortened version of the "dextrous manipulator," is the third and final component of the Canadarm Remote Manipulator System, the robotic arm that is Canada's contribution to the space station.

After being joined to the Remote Manipulator System, Dextre will remain permanently fixed on the outside of the Destiny laboratory module. It's joints and other parts will be tested over the next two days to ensure that they are in working order.

Operated by joysticks inside the ISS, or from ground control on Earth, the 1.56-tonne robot will conduct operations, which until now required a human touch.

Dextre's hands have two retractable grippers that can hold equipment and tools. They also carry a retractable motorized socket wrench, along with a camera and a light for viewing the work underway.

The robot's upper torso swivels mid-way, and its arms have been provided seven joints to give it maximum versatility.

Launched on 11 March  the 16-day Endeavour mission is the longest at the ISS and will host at least five space walks, which will involve about 30 hours of work on the outside of the space station.

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