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Monday, November 25, 2024

Canadarm2's DEXTRE: Robotic 'Hands' at Work | International Space Station

Canadarm2's DEXTRE: Robotic 'Hands' at Work | International Space Station

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: "Payload package deployment from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) airlock using the [Canadian Space Agency's] Canadarm2 with the Special Purpose Dexterious Manipulator (SPDM). This timelapse shows the two smaller arms on SPDM grappling a materials exposure payload (MISSE) and moving it away. I especially like the sun angles moving around the window frame like a 16-hour sundial. This time exposure represents about 10 hours."

The International Space Station's Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), is the fine-tuned robotic hand, attached to the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The 17-meter-long (55+ feet) Canadarm2 robotic arm and the 3.7m (12 feet) high Dextre fine-tuned robotic hand are part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Canadarm2 was extensively involved in the assembly of the orbiting laboratory.

Dextre tackles the tough or routine jobs that need to be done in the harsh environment of space. The Station's robotic assistant allows astronauts to spend more time doing scientific experiments instead of performing risky spacewalks.

Dextre's body was designed to move in many different ways. Each of its arms has seven joints that can move up and down, go from side to side, and rotate. This large range of motion means Dextre can actually carry out more complex movements than a human arm. Each hand has a retractable motorized wrench, a camera and lights for close-up viewing, and a retractable connector to provide power, data and video connection. 

The robot can carefully grip delicate equipment without causing damage. For example, it can successfully manipulate small safety caps, cables and wires with minute precision—all while being controlled from Earth, hundreds of kilometers away. Dextre can can ride on the end of Canadarm2 to move from each worksite or be ferried on the Mobile Base System to work almost anywhere on the ISS. 

The robot is operated by ground control teams at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) headquarters outside Montreal, Quebec, and at NASA.

Learn more about Canadian space robotics:
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/iss/robotics/default.asp

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video details: Nikon Z9, Nikon 8mm f2.8 fisheye, timelapse assembled by Chris Getteau of NASA/JSC


Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)/D. Pettit
Duration: 12 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 25, 2024

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ISS #SpaceTechnology #Canada #CSA #Canadarm2 #SPDM #Dextre #Robotics #Robots #JAXA #Japan #日本 #Astronaut #DonPettit #Expedition72 #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #JSC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Timelapse #HD #Video

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