posted 09-22-2009 01:34 PM               

The Canadian Space Agency has a section of their website dedicated to Dextre, which debuted at the time of its deployment.

Dextre has not yet been put into use on the station, though in June of this year it was moved to the side of the Destiny lab.

More recently during the STS-127 mission in July, spacewalkers secured multi-layer insulation around Dextre that had come loose.

posted 09-22-2009 01:36 PM               

• NASA: A Helping Hand for the Space Station
  
• Image of the Day: Dextre at Work

posted 07-19-2010 04:40 PM               

Big day on ISS: Preparing Dextre robot for his first maintenance activity and turning on new software to control our communications antennas.

Today we put Dextre in position for his practice tomorrow and the real swap on Wednesday - all went according to plan; Dex is ready!

Wednesday Dextre will be swapping out two power modules on the ISS' truss. Tomorrow he pulls one out and puts it back for practice.

posted 07-21-2010 08:33 AM               

Dextre Swaps Out Power Controller

This animation shows Dextre at the end of Canadarm2 swapping out a failed Remote Power Control Module on the International Space Station's P1 truss with a spare on P3.

posted 07-21-2010 03:53 PM               

Dextre's final exam postponed

On July 20, 2010, Dextre was powered up and began conducting a "dress rehearsal" of its first official task on board the International Space Station. While working at the end of Candarm2, Dextre's objective was to partially remove a failed circuit-breaker box (known by the technical term "Remote Power Control Module," or RPCM) by extracting it 15 cm, then putting it back into place. Dextre operated flawlessly during the test, but the RPCM was just not ready to make its debut. After several attempts to remove it, the RPCM could not be extracted by more than 5 cm. Flight controllers on the ground then instructed Dextre to put the RPCM back into place and reconnect it.

"We must remind ourselves that this was a rehearsal for a reason," says Pierre Jean, head of the International Space Station program at the Canadian Space Agency. "There could be many reasons why we saw yesterday's results but the good news is that we know from our data that Dextre executed his task perfectly."

Engineering teams will spend the next few days reviewing the data from the test to better understand why the RPCM could not be fully extracted and what changes may be required for future operations. The crew on board the International Space Station is also busy with repairs on the oxygen generation system, and are preparing for a spacewalk on July 26 to install Kurs automated rendezvous equipment on the exterior of the recently delivered Rassvet module, which will facilitate future dockings with Russian spacecraft.

posted 12-22-2010 02:03 AM               

Dextre's Final Exam Scheduled for December 22-23, 2010

On December 22-23, 2010, Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), will undertake a series of tasks that will officially certify the robot for duty.

Since launched in 2008, Dextre has completed several rounds of tests as part of its certification process. These steps are essential to test the Dextre's systems and performance, since the robot could not be assembled and tested in Earth's gravity.

Dextre will ride on the end of Canadarm2 to the External Logistic Carrier (ELC2) on the starboard side of the ISS. Dextre will then relocate a storage box known as a Cargo Transport Carrier, a generic platform for ISS cargo and payloads, containing ten circuit breaker boxes (remote power control modules). Dextre will begin by picking up the 442-kg cargo transport carrier and placing the box on its workbench. While still riding on the end of Canadarm2, Dextre will install the cargo transport carrier at its new location a short distance away.

The move will create more space in the vicinity for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, scheduled for delivery on STS-134, the final space shuttle flight, in 2011. It will also serve as a dry run for Dextre's first official task when it will unload the External Pallet from Japan's HTV-2 spacecraft (a space "moving van" that carries supplies to the ISS) in early February 2011.

posted 12-24-2010 10:59 AM               

Dextre gets his diploma!

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.

Extreme precision - with a delicate touch

For humans, the exam seems deceptively simple: it's a no-brainer for us to pick up a box and move it a few metres away. Not so for a robot, though--especially one working in weightlessness, where everything not properly anchored down could risk floating away, and possibly even becoming a danger to the Station.

Instead, the move was broken down into a sequence of steps that took a total of two days to complete. First, Dextre unbolted the cargo transport carrier, lifted it up and then fastened it onto his workbench (a temporary storage platform that allows the robotic handyman to carry equipment while keeping his hands free). But setting the cargo transport carrier down onto the workbench requires extreme precision and delicacy: Dextre's human operators on the ground needed to align the carrier within one degree in order to lock down the interfaces properly, all while ensuring that the mechanical parts were not crushed in the process by applying too much force.

"When astronauts train to do this type of task during a spacewalk, they get to practice again and again until they are comfortable with the procedure," says Tim Braithwaite, the Canadian Space Agency's representative at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. "We're operating a new robot via remote control, doing a task that has never been done robotically, with precision levels that have to be near-perfect. So this test is also about gaining experience for the ground team and learning how to operate Dextre's complicated systems."

Operations on the first day wrapped up when Dextre successfully locked the cargo transport carrier down onto his workbench, where it sat throughout the night. Day 2's tasks consisted of removing the carrier from the workbench, and latching it down to its new location on the ISS.

What's next for Dextre?

Dextre was developed by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency to reduce the need for astronauts to conduct spacewalks for routine maintenance on the Space Station's exterior, and therefore free up the crew's time for more important activities, like conducting science experiments. Since its launch in 2008, Dextre has been completing a series of planned tasks to certify the robot for duty. Designed to test its systems and performance, the certification process is essential because the robot could not be assembled and tested in Earth's gravity. It also serves as a dress rehearsal for Dextre's first official task when it will unload EP (External Pallet) from Japan's HTV-2 spacecraft (a space "moving van" that carries supplies to the ISS) in early February 2011.

posted 02-07-2011 12:02 PM               

Dextre successfully completes its first task: Canadian Space Agency wraps up a week of intensive robotics on the ISS

Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), successfully completed its first official task early this morning after unpacking two critical pieces of equipment ferried to the Station by Japan's Kounotori2 spacecraft -- the space equivalent of a moving van.

While riding on the end of Canadarm2, Dextre unbolted a spare Flex Hose Rotary Coupler (part of the ISS's cooling system) and placed it on its tool storage platform (also known by the technical term, the Enhanced Orbital Replacement Unit Temporary Platform, or EOTP). Next, Dextre unfastened the Cargo Transfer Container, which will remain in the robot's specialized "hands" until the Express Logistics Carrier 4 stowage platform can be installed on the Station during the upcoming STS-133 mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The operations marked Dextre's first scheduled task since the robot was commissioned in December 2010. Canadarm2 will return Dextre to its perch on the ISS later this evening.

"There were a few times tonight when Dextre's human operators had to recalibrate as we zeroed in on our target," says Tim Braithwaite, the Canadian Space Agency's representative at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. "This seems to be the result of the Station's structure itself flexing, effectively making a moving target for the ground operator to grasp. It's a bit like standing on the end of a dive board at the pool, and using a long skimmer to scoop a tennis ball that keeps bouncing about in choppy water. We know from our early checkout sessions that Dextre's arms are stable and precisely controllable; however, when the target is literally drifting before the camera, it poses a unique challenge for our operators. Tonight, though, the team put their experience to good use, and Dextre went on to deliver a flawless performance."

Dextre's operations capped an intensive week for Canadian robotics on the ISS. On January 27, Canadarm2 made a "cosmic catch" when it reached out and grasped the free-flying Kounotori2 spacecraft and docked it to the ISS. The Space Station's Canadian-built robotic arm then removed Kounotori2's Exposed Pallet (a transportation rack that slides out of the spacecraft like a drawer) from the external cargo trunk. On February 1, Canadarm2 transferred the pallet to the Japanese robotic arm on the ISS's Kibo module. Canadarm2 and the Japanese robotic arm will work together again on February 7 to return the pallet to Kounotori2's trunk.

posted 08-31-2011 06:49 AM               

Dextre, Space Electrician: Canadian Robot Repairs Components on the Space Station

Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has successfully replaced a faulty circuit-breaker box on the orbiting lab. The robot swapped the failed component for a fresh one, thereby restoring part of the orbiting lab's backup electrical systems. The maneuver marks the first time Dextre replaces defective equipment on the Station.

Known by the technical term "Remote Power Control Modules," (RPCMs) circuit-breaker boxes control the flow of electricity through the ISS's secondary power distribution system, and tend to fail occasionally. Up to now, exchanging the boxes was done by spacewalkers, which always carries a certain level of risk. Dextre was designed to reduce the need for astronauts to conduct spacewalks for routine maintenance, therefore freeing up the crew's time for more important activities, like conducting science.

Canadarm2 supported Dextre during the entire operation, which took place on August 28-29. Dextre was operated from the ground by robotics flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and supported by several teams of engineers both in Houston and at the Canadian Space Agency's headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.

While the robotic handyman remains on-call for duty if any issues arise, Dextre also has a full list of scheduled tasks. Later this week, the Canadian-built robot will relocate two small storage pallets from their current location the robot's workbench to the Express Logistics Carrier 4 on the ISS. One of the pallets carries the equipment for the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), Dextre's first research and development project to test the technologies and techniques necessary to refuel satellites in flight.