Risks of space lead NASA to eye robots with right stuff

[wdlove]

Hubble rescue, moon missions are considered

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press *|* May 2, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Think Edward Scissorhands, but with bolt drivers and pliers for hands and a giraffelike neck topped with a pair of cameras resembling black cratered eyes instead of the handsome head of Johnny Depp.

Could this strange robot take the place of astronauts in fixing the Hubble Space Telescope? NASA is yearning to find out.

With astronauts banned from Hubble because of space shuttle safety concerns, the University of Maryland's Ranger robot could conceivably save the day by installing fresh batteries and other life-sustaining parts on the observatory.

Or if not Ranger, then Robonaut, NASA's very own humanoid robot, or the Canadian Space Agency's Dextre, a two-armed robot intended for the international space station, or any number of other robots under development that could blast off aboard an unmanned rocket in three or four years.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/05/02/risks_of_space_lead_nasa_to_eye_robots_with_right_stuff/

 

[ingenious]

Hubble rescue, moon missions are considered

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press *|* May 2, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Think Edward Scissorhands, but with bolt drivers and pliers for hands and a giraffelike neck topped with a pair of cameras resembling black cratered eyes instead of the handsome head of Johnny Depp.

Could this strange robot take the place of astronauts in fixing the Hubble Space Telescope? NASA is yearning to find out.

With astronauts banned from Hubble because of space shuttle safety concerns, the University of Maryland's Ranger robot could conceivably save the day by installing fresh batteries and other life-sustaining parts on the observatory.

Or if not Ranger, then Robonaut, NASA's very own humanoid robot, or the Canadian Space Agency's Dextre, a two-armed robot intended for the international space station, or any number of other robots under development that could blast off aboard an unmanned rocket in three or four years.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/05/02/risks_of_space_lead_nasa_to_eye_robots_with_right_stuff/

well i hope they can save the hubble, its taken some pretty awesome pictures

 

[Mr. Anderson]

This is pretty much the same story....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/69460/

D

 

[wdlove]

A cool thing that isn't available in the online article is a picture printed in the Globe. It's a picture at Johnson Space Center showing the robot that they have developed. The robot is attached to a mobile platform designed by Segway. The Segway of course made in New England.

Besides the Hubble it would also be of assistance to astronauts on the moon and Mars.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

The farther you get from home (earth) the longer its going to take to talk to it - unless you plan on controlling it locally. There would be a noticeable lag in commands for the moon, so real time control would be tricky - and for Mars and beyond, as was shown in with the recent rovers, the robot would have to have preprogrammed autonomy. That's tall order still.

This will be used in orbit for testing and checking out and the 3rd or 4th generation will most likely be sent out of orbit.

D