April 22, 2010
NASA will launch the first human-like robot to space later this year to become a permanent resident of the International Space Station. Robonaut 2, or R2, was developed jointly by NASA and General Motors under a cooperative agreement to develop a robotic assistant that can work alongside humans, whether they are astronauts in space or workers at GM manufacturing plants on Earth.
The 300-pound R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission planned for September. Once aboard the station, engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/robonaut.html
SYRG have added themselves to the waiting list for a Robonaut!
April 9, 2010
Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clay Anderson wrapped up a successful six-hour 27-minute spacewalk early Friday, repressurising the space station’s Quest airlock module at 7:58 a.m. EDT.
The astronauts released a 1,700-pound ammonia coolant tank in the shuttle Discovery’s cargo bay so it could be moved to the space station and installed a rate gyro assembly, a device that helps determine the lab’s orientation in space. They also carried out a variety of get-ahead tasks to save time for future spacewalkers.
This was the 141st spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the fifth so far this year and the first of three planned by Discovery’s crew. Total station EVA time now stands at 879 hours and 43 minutes.
Get the latest audio and video from the STS 131 mission at www.spacevidcast.com
