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nasa canadarm

As you get older, some of your joints might get a little crunchy. The same is plainly truthful of robots. NASA has only sent ii astronauts out on a multi-60 minutes spacewalk to repair the International Space Station's aging Canadian-built robotic arm, office of which broke down in late September. While the arm withal works for sure applications, it volition need to be fully operational in advance of the station's upcoming supply drop next month.

This is the 2d major repair on the Canadarm-2 since the Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered information technology to the ISS in 2001. Simply i yr after in 2002, the wrist articulation malfunctioned and needed replacement in orbit. Information technology's impressive such a sophisticated device has required but 2 major repairs in that time–it has seven contained joints, giving the arm seven degrees of freedom.

On September 22nd, ISS mission control reported that ane of the arm's two Latching End Effectors (LEE-A) failed to engage fully. The Canadarm 2 is 57.7 feet long and weighs in at 4,000 pounds. When it's fully operational, operators use the arm to grapple spacecraft and other objects outside the station, and it's vital to safely docking supply craft that arrive at the station. The issue with Canadarm two right now is non the part that does the grappling, merely the function that connects it to the ISS. The arm is needed in different places, so it uses the LEE-A mechanisms to inch along from 1 fixture to the next as it moves across the station'south hull. With only one active LEE, it tin't become where information technology needs to be.

According to Tim Braithwaite of the Canadian Space Agency, each Latching End Effector is a "very complex package" considering of all the included functionality. It not merely latches onto the station, it transmits avionics data, photographic camera feeds, and other sensor information from the balance of the arm. Thus, the process conducted by astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei was rather involved. Two thermal blankets needed the be removed from the arm's base of operations first, and so the vi bolts holding the LEE-A in identify were disconnected. Attaching a new LEE is the aforementioned affair in reverse. It may sound simple, but everything takes longer in a weightless surround when you lot're wearing a clunky spacesuit.

Another spacewalk is currently slated for early next year when NASA plans to replace the LEE-B device. It's still working fine, just these parts have an expected lifespan of 10 years. The designers are pleased they've both lasted as long equally they accept, simply no one wants to have any chances. NASA believes the Canadarm 2 will exist ready to greet Orbital ATK'due south supply ship when it arrives in a few weeks.