Advancing Robotics: Canadian Style

Last week I had heard something on the radio about the space shuttle "Endeavour" and was surprised to hear about another shuttle mission. I did not get all the details of the mission or even hear about what was going up to the International Space Station. Today I was looking through one of my favourite sources for news and read about the current shuttle mission. This time the shuttle Endeavour is carrying not only another contribution from Canada; but also Japan's first contribution, Kibo lab. Japan's Kibo lab requires two components to complete the lab; the first is to be installed during the current 16 day mission.

Early reports suggest that 'Dextre' is broken, but a comment on the news story told me other wise. Apparently the current electrical problem the robot is encountering is limited to the temporary platform that is used in transporting the component into space. Currently Dextre is not drawing power from the International Space Station. N.A.S.A. has planned on 5 space walks to fully assemble the robot; two of the five have been completed.

This is an excellent accomplishment for Canadian robotics. I am glad to hear that we are still in the foreground of space robotics. The current Conservative Government in Canada does not see space ventures in the same way the rest of Canada does. We should be proud to be creating a niche in the field of space robotics. Now all of us Canadians have a little more to boast about, it's about time that we are making some headlines.

Image source: Canadian Space Agency: Image Gallery
News Story: Astronauts start 2nd spacewalk to assemble Canadian-made robot

I.S.S. Hits Milestone, but Still Incomplete

Recently I found a site with an update on the International Space Station entitled The International Space Station So Far: Five Years of Service, But Incomplete by Tarig Malik a staff writer at Space.com. It was quite interesting. The slated retirement of the shuttle fleet could cause problems with completing the massive construction as NASA plans to retire their fleet of shuttles in 2010. The completion of the international project requires quite a few more shuttle missions.

Canada's major contribution is the 'Canada arm2,' and is currently flying with the International Space Station. However, there is still one component left to go up, hopefully it will fly soon, no details on when it is scheduled to fly as of yet. But the Canada arm2 is a major work horse for assembling the station, it has been flying since April 19, 2001, and has been used for installing the stations 'Quest' airlock.

Currently the International Space Station is awaiting the delivery of the 'Columbus' module, which is the European Space Agencies contribution to the Station. Also the Japanese 'Kibo' Lab is still awaiting launch. The most recent addition to the station was the U.S. 'Harmony Node 2,' which is necessary for installing the 'Columbus' module and the Japanese 'Kibo' module.

Hopefully there will be more news on the assembly of the International Space Station, as it is imperative to future endeavors into space. We will need a place to stage flights to the moon and Mars. I'm sure that NASAs homepage will have more. When I find more, I will post more, till then, Peace!