Posted on August 18, 2011, at 6:30 am .
Spacewalker Mike Fossum carries the Robotic Refueling Mission module from shuttle Atlantis to its temporary platform on the International Space Station on July 12, 2011. A robotic maneuver in September 2011 will transfer RRM to its permanent location on station’s ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4. Credit: NASA
NASA PR — NASA’s groundbreaking Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) will reach a key milestone in September when the International Space Station (ISS) robots transfer the module to its permanent home on space station’s ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4. Robotic operations for the technology demonstration are currently slated to begin soon afterwards.
A joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, RRM is designed to demonstrate the technologies, tools, and techniques needed to robotically service satellites, especially those not built with servicing in mind.
Continue reading ‘Robotic Refueling Mission Nears Key Milestone’
Posted on August 11, 2011, at 5:35 am .
Canadian Prime Minister held talks with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during a state visit to the South American nation this week. The leaders agreed to cooperate in a broad range of areas, including space exploration, science and technology, and educational exchanges.
An excerpt from the official joint statement statement follows, with the full statement reproduced after it:
They affirmed their desire to initiate a Space Cooperation Dialogue and instructed the appropriate agencies and institutions in the two countries to explore possible avenues for cooperation in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
Continue reading ‘Canada, Brazil to Cooperate on Space, S&T and Education’
Posted on August 1, 2011, at 5:15 am .
International Space Station
NASA PR — WASHINGTON – The Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) for the International Space Station partner agencies met Tuesday, July 26, to discuss how to use the space station as a test bed for technologies that will enable missions beyond low Earth orbit.
The board will begin identifying several specific technology collaboration initiatives based on possible future missions suggested by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group. These technology developments and demonstrations on the station could support voyages to an asteroid or Mars or the development of lunar habitats.
Continue reading ‘ISS Partners Discuss How to Use Station as Technology Test Bed’
Posted on July 20, 2011, at 5:15 am .
Canadian Space Agency President Steve MacLean’s
Space Shuttle Program Message
The Space Shuttle Program’s 30-year legacy represents an era of unprecedented achievements in spaceflight and space exploration.
For Canada, it has been the period during which our country rapidly developed specialized niche expertise in many space sectors, including scientific instruments and satellites, tele-communications, remote sensing, advanced vision systems, 3-D lasers, LIDARs and TriDARs.
Continue reading ‘CSA Hails Space Shuttle Program’
Posted on July 2, 2011, at 5:06 am .
CSA PR — The Bank of Canada has announced that Canadarm2 and Dextre will adorn the $5 bills of its new series of polymer bank notes. The series underlines the innovative spirit of the Canadian people by showcasing several great achievements in fields such as medicine, environmental sciences and space conquest. The Canadian robots on the International Space Station bank notes will enter circulation before the end of 2013.
Posted on June 30, 2011, at 11:34 am .
This artistic representation shows Dextre (right) performing a robotic refueling task on RRM (center) task box, mounted to ELC4. (Image: NASA)
Satellites are designed to withstand a variety of challenges to ensure that the sensitive electronics on board can survive the effects of launch and perform for years in the harsh conditions of space. One of the major hurdles engineering teams face when designing a satellite is how much fuel it can carry to operate throughout its lifetime. Many satellites are left to die and then become space debris after they run out of fuel. But what if we were able to refuel them?
Continue reading ‘Dextre to Get Work Out With Robotic Refueling Mission’
Posted on February 18, 2011, at 12:22 pm .
The Canadian Space Agency’s latest annual report, The State of the Canadian Space Sector 2009, shows that the nation’s space revenues exceeded $3 billion in that year. In the report, CSA President Steve MacLean wrote:
The talented men and women who make up the Canadian space workforce are the backbone of the space sector. In 2009, workforce numbers experienced the second fastest growth rate (after 2004) since we started publishing this survey thirteen years ago. The Canadian Space Sector now employs 7,564 people of which 3,770 are highly qualified professionals.
Continue reading ‘Canadian Space Revenues Exceeded $3 Billion in 2009′
Posted on January 28, 2011, at 4:00 am .
CSA PRESS RELEASE
Much like his Earth-based counterparts, the Space Station’s robotic handyman, Dextre is on call for any situation that may arise. But Dextre also has a “to-do” list. His first official task will take place on February 2-4, 2011 when he unpacks the Japanese Kounotori2 HTV-2 cargo spaceship as it makes its second visit to the International Space Station (ISS). It will also mark the first time that the mobile base carries Canadarm2 with Dextre on the end.
Continue reading ‘Dextre Ready for its Closeup Aboard ISS’
Posted on January 4, 2011, at 3:30 pm .
iRings lunar wheels undergo testing. Photo: Brad Jones/Neptec Design Group
McGill University Press Release
Creating a wheel for some of the worst potholes known to humankind is just one of the extraterrestrial challenges a team of McGill students and professors face in developing and testing a wheel prototype for the new Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR).
The new Canadian rover will be used during lunar exploration to carry payloads, cargo and crew, as well as enable drilling and excavation, manipulator and tool integration, and vision and state-of-the-art communications systems.
Continue reading ‘Canadians Redesign Tires for Use on Lunar Rovers’
Posted on January 2, 2011, at 5:00 am .
CSA PRESS RELEASE
December 24, 2010 – Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency’s robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), successfully passed his final exam yesterday and is now officially certified for duty.
While riding on the end of Canadarm2, Dextre performed a series of steps to remove a 442-kg storage box known as a cargo transport carrier (a generic platform for ISS cargo and payloads) and relocate it to another worksite a short distance away. The move was necessary to free up the worksite for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, scheduled for delivery on STS-134 (the final Space Shuttle flight) in 2011.
Continue reading ‘CSA’s Dextre Robotic Arm Ready for Duty on ISS’
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