NASA - Robotic Repair Of Hubble 'Promising'

mykepredko writes "According to CNN, using a robot to repair/update the Hubble observatory is much more feasible than NASA originally believed. According to the article, the desires for keeping Hubble operational, while keeping shuttle astronauts safe seems to be the impeus for suggesting robotic repair of the satellite. The article goes on to discuss 'Robonaut' and 'Ranger robot', two machines which can approximate the capabilities of a space-suited astronaut. I'm wondering if these robots could be used for the ISS assembly/maintenance, minimizing crew EVAs while maximizing assembly time and hopefully reducing costs."

Comments

Hubble

[endlessoul]

The article goes on to discuss 'Robonaut' and 'Ranger robot', two machines which can approximate the capabilities of a space-suited astronaut.

Am I the only one who thought of the Power Rangers when reading this? NASA seems to be mixing work with play...

I believe the money would be better spent

[Anonymous Coward]

on world peace and saving kittens. I mean, stars and stuff don't really do anything, who cares if we can see them or not.

Robots in space?

[odano]

Robots in space? What's next, a computer that can beat a human in chess?

To Infinity -- And Beyond!

[Rick the Red]

maximizing [ISS] assembly time and hopefully reducing costs

How about if we stop sending rockets and shuttles to the ISS altogether? That would drive costs to zero and drive assembly time to infinity, exceeding both of your stated goals.

Re:My question

[McBeer]

"I don't accept that you can't design a repair bot for under that launch cost?"

I would be willing to believe it. Just the other day my $300 autonomous vacuum cleaner decided to get lost, drive off the stairs and break itself. It didn't even have to survive in space. When it comes down to it, I don't have a lot of faith in robots at the moment.