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NASA's Zero-Gravity Robotic-Arm Partnership With Canada
AndreV writes "We've entered into an extraterrestrial quid pro quo with our Northern neighbors: After celebrating 25 years of the Canadarm's first venture into space, NASA has reached out (so to speak) to the Canadian Space Agency and begun research and development on a new generation of robotic arms, which would ultimately be used for the US agency's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle that will provide transportation for Moon missions and jaunts to the international space station. In exchange, Canada will trade the robotic-limb technology's use on Orion and other future US-manned spacecraft for flight time for Canadian astronauts. And seeing solid results shouldn't be far off — the engineering company designing the bionic branch, responsible for the previous Canadarms, has already begun investigating the effects of zero gravity on their components. (Another forward-looking project being bartered for astronaut time is a rover for the Moon and Mars.) Fair trade?"
The Canadarm has been an example of successful cooperation in space. Let's hope the Canadian astronauts can use the U.S. toilets when they're up there, unlike the Russians: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7973747.stm
" ... [Nice, thoughtful and reasonably accurate news summary aimed at people with a brain}. ..."
Fair Trade?
What is this, Fox News? Do you think /.'ers can't come up with a controversy and discussion themselves, unless prodded with a tagline designed to con viewers to wait for the story after these messages from our fine sponsors?
NASA had a big robotics research going on in the mid to early 1990s. The big issue was cost. NASA was down sizing the space station and actively seeking other countries to help fund it. For a brief moment, Orbital Sciences won the contract to develop the arm for the space station. It was based on an underseas robot technology - just with much weaker motors and other environmental considerations (zero-g, zero pressure, grease tends to evaporate under zero pressure). Canada piped in and said they would build the arm if NASA pays. NASA essentially said 'nuts' and awarded the contract [eventually] to Orbital, only to pull it back when Canada said, "just kidding we'll pay for it."
So my opportunity to work on a really cool project evaporated.
Few months later Canada came to Orbital trying to figure out how we were going to do it so cheaply. "nuts" to them.
Anyway: http://www.robotics-research.com/ and ultimately: http://www.robotics-research.com/SATBaysmall.jpg
TODO: create/find/steal funny sig.
Take off without a Canadarm, eh? Not going to happen! You try to get out and they keep pulling you back in with their stinking robotic canada arm! They've got leverage! They've got rotating joints, and as we all know Canadian joints are the best in the world! They've got Jack Baur and Captain Kirk and some awesome singers too! You try to get out and they keep pulling you back in with the long flexible reach of the canadarm...
Gotta hand it to Canada, it's an awesome technology! No wonder as up in the Great White North (it's melting, it's melting, no, it's freezing, it's freezing, no it's melting, no it's irregular climate, ...) there is nothing to do but play with robotic and non-robotic arms and hands! You see we Canadians got tired of our own hands we decided to invent a flexible third hand for those extra special moments when a helping hand is needed to reach those spots that you just can't get to.
Canadians keep grasping at the future getting a tight grip upon it! You keep trying to get out but they keep pulling you back in! ;-)