likefixingequipment in thedeadly, airless
vacuumofspace.Andthemoretheserobots
succeed, themoreresponsibilitywillfallon
theirarticulatedshoulders.
Dextre, aCanadian robot, is at his best
whenthere isdirtyworktobedone inspace.
He’s equippedwith lights andvideoequip-
ment so astronauts or ground controllers
can drive him remotely and tele-operate
histwoarms.And likeanygoodhandyman,
Dextrehasa tool kit stuedwithwhatever
heneedstogetthejobdone.Adayatworkfor
Dextreislikethis:swingintospaceonamas-
sivearm, thenworkondelicateelectronics
andspacehardwarethatisliterallypriceless
to the scientists on the planet below. His
first job, completed in2011,was tounpack
deliveries fromanunmannedspacecraft.
Theability toperform tasks thatwould
bepotentially life-threatening forhumans
is amajor plus. For starters, the tempera-
turesaroundtheISScanrangefrom250de-
greesbelowzerointheshadeto250degrees
Fahrenheit indirect sunlight. Donning a
pressuresuit—whichisbasicallyawearable
spaceship—makes forslowgoingandtakes
intensive training. And spacewalkers get
exposedtoradiation levelsthatcandamage
bodycells.Thenightmare scenario isof an
astronaut somehow losinghisorher tether
andfloatingaway.Robotshavenoneofthese
concerns. Still, humanoid robots like R2
have something toprove. If they succeed,
therewillbemorefollowingthemintoorbit.
Onenew experiment thatmayhelpde-
cide the futureof space robots iscalled the
RoboticRefuelingMission (RRM), which
aims toprove that a robotic arm (Dextre)
—operatedbykeyboardbyhumansbackon
Earth—can service satellites inorbit. Last
year, astronauts launched the RRM into
space and attached it to theoutsideof the
ISS.Fromthere,Dextrehastakenover.The
refuelingdevices thatDextreuses fit into
ports of various sizes and shapes that can
be foundon themyriad satellites cruising
inorbit.
But the robot will have to play a role
that is onepart gas-station attendant and
“This isa reallygood
opportunity tounderstand the
interfacebetweenhumansand
roboticshere inspace.”
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