Space Robot Maker MDA Nets Hubble Repair Contract

hyperlinx writes "MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. said on Wednesday it has signed a $154 million deal to help NASA's controversial repair mission to fix the aging Hubble Space Telescope. The Canadian firm that built the Canadarm robotic arm technology used on NASA's space shuttles won the contract 'to provide a potential information and robotic servicing solution' in a rescue project being eyed for 2007."

Comments

local article

[mike.newton]

Here's an article from the Vancouver Sun with some additional details.

Too dangerous

[benhocking]

You might think it is worth the danger (I do), but the current reason that the Hubble is off limits for the space shuttle (even after it finally gets the green light again) is that the orbit of Hubble is such that if something goes wrong similar to what happened to the Columbia shuttle (and if it is detected) they would not be able to get to the ISS. The advantage of getting to the ISS is that there is an emergency escape vessel (a Soyuz) that they can use to get to Earth. I've tried finding a link on Google confirming my memory, but have failed to find one that spells this out explicitly, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt.

MDA did not build the Canadarm

[breem42]

"The Canadian firm that built the Canadarm"

Yes, MacDonald Dettwiler did buy Spar Aerospace, who built the "Canadarm", but the company otherwise has little to do with it. They are, however, involved in some of the robotics of the ISS (called "Canadarm 2").

BTW -- few people other than Canadians (of which I am one) call it the "Canadarm".

Tony in Vancouver