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Canadarm Company Bidding on Hubble Repair

Posted by michael on from the give-them-a-hand dept.

mhotchin writes "The Globe and Mail says that NASA has evaluated all the submissions for a robot repair mission to Hubble, and the only bid requested is from the Canadian company that developed the Canadarm. It appears they would copy the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator ('Dexter'), developed for ISS, as the main unit for the repairs."

17 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. helping is nice by everyplace · · Score: 3, Funny

    If ever there was a company to lend an arm to the repairs...

  2. These guys are brilliant by MrAndrews · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I know some engineers from MDR and they are extremely bright people. If you happen to bump into one in a bar somewhere, be sure not to start talking about ergonomics, because you'll get drowned in actual information (rather than the pseudo-information average humans have). They deserve all the praise they get on these things, because I don't know anyone that works harder on more complex systems than these guys do.

    On the other hand, I hear they know nothing about hockey, so they're not all good...

    --
    The world's only surviving livewriter.
    1. Re:These guys are brilliant by MrAndrews · · Score: 2, Funny

      It all depends on who's buying the drinks, my friend.

      --
      The world's only surviving livewriter.
  3. Conversation... by stienman · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Sure, we can fix your satellite for ya, eh, but it'll cost ya two cases and season box seats for hockey."

    -Adam

    1. Re:Conversation... by Lew+Pitcher · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Sure, we can fix your satellite for ya, eh, but it'll cost ya two cases and season box seats for hockey."

      Your comment is obviously not 'Canadian'. You didn't get the slang right. The correct quote would be:

      Sure, we can fix your satellite for you. But, it'll cost you a couple'a twofours and some "blues", eh.

      --

      "values of beta will give rise to dom!"

    2. Re:Conversation... by Glasswire · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's assuming they like Blue. They may be 'EX' guys, Canajun drinkers or their one of those pussies drinkin american shit like Bud.

      ( Old Cdn joke: Why drinking american beer like making love in a canoe? They're both fuck'n near water! )

  4. Re:NASA outsourcing? by merdark · · Score: 4, Informative

    NASA always out sourced a bit. This company made bot h the shuttle arm, and the ISS arm, it's not surprising they were asked to do the robotic repairs for the hubble.

  5. Dexter's Laboratory is now a Vaccum by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Had to be said. (for those who don't know, Dexter is this crazy mad-scientist kid on a Cartoon Network show).

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  6. ISS helps USA? by Pi_0's+don't+shower · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Go figure, NASA decides to abandon the ISS once the USA's commitment is finished, and somehow, the science used to build the ISS due to international collaboration just might save one of our most invaluable satellite telescopes. I think as long as something is done to save the HST for a few more years, we're in excellent shape. FYI -- the HST is the only instrument that can observe the lyman alpha/beta/gamma/etc. emission lines from the furthest galaxies (z >= 7)... despite all the redshifting, the James Webb Space Telescope won't be able to observe the most powerful of emission lines as the HST still can!

    1. Re:ISS helps USA? by Deltawolf · · Score: 2, Funny

      The HST can see to the farthest galaxys but can it see into Britney Spear's window like the NSA spy satellites can?

      --
      -Rights? What rights?
    2. Re:ISS helps USA? by snake_dad · · Score: 3, Informative
      Uh...isn't Hubble our only space telescope? At least, so far?

      Try googling for Chandra, Spitzer, Compton, IRAS, SOHO, HEAO, or Hipparcos, combined with "space observatory". Or just "space observatory".

      --
      karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
    3. Re:ISS helps USA? by grozzie2 · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Go figure, NASA decides to abandon the ISS once the USA's commitment is finished, and somehow, the science used to build the ISS due to international collaboration just might save one of our most invaluable satellite telescopes.

      Actually, the canadarm has been on shuttles since very early in the shuttle program. Using them to work on Hubble is nothing new, reference this photo . That's the shuttle variation of the arm holding Hubble in preparation for a past repair mission. The real difference in this proposal, is the use of a second arm from the same folks, with more manipulators etc, to do the repair work, instead of sending an astronaut out for a walk. Nasa is risk adverse, with only 3 years to perform the mission, they wont try find a 'new' contractor at this stage, they'll go with a known quantity, the folks that have been building them arms for as long as they've been in use on shuttles.

      About the only downside to this style of repair mission, it'll emphasize the lack of relavence of 'manned missions' with modern robotic technology available. Cant help but wonder if that's really a bad thing. A robotic mission to service the Hubble will likely cost a LOT less than a manned shuttle launch, and achieve the same end result. Cant see any downside to it.

  7. Re:NASA outsourcing? by raider_red · · Score: 2, Funny

    They might as well. Their last piece of original work just flies in circles.

    --
    It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
  8. And soon Canadians will make the launch vehicles by madprogrammer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It won't be for this launch, or even the next one, but hopefully Canada will soon have companies making launch vehicles:
    The da Vinci Project and Canadian Arrow are showing great potential!

  9. Re:Hubble by bluGill · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hubble isn't broke, 3 months or 3,000 miles since the last oil change is nearly up. They just need to get it into the nearest Jippy Lube for an oil change and it will be good as new for anouther 3 months/3,000 miles.

  10. First time... by clem9796 · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think this is the first time that the States has even mentioned that the arm is in fact a Canadian innovation. In movies, news, etc. I've never seen it mentioned before. Kinda like a wide range of other things that the US tries to take credit for.. I know, I know.. time for a flamebait mod, but it's true.

    --
    IANALOOA
  11. Re:And soon Canadians will make the launch vehicle by Christopher+Thomas · · Score: 2, Informative

    It won't be for this launch, or even the next one, but hopefully Canada will soon have companies making launch vehicles:

    I doubt this. We're in a horrible launch location (you want to be close to the equator), and the market is already pretty saturated (Arienne-5 and other solutions on the expensive side and Russian boosters on the less expensive side).

    I'll be the first to cheer if we do get Canadian launch facilities (way too much red tape getting things launched by the US), but I'm not holding my breath.