robotic repair – Behind The Black

The robotic demonstration of remote satellite repair on ISS resumed this week.

May 2, 2013 10:54 pm Robert Zimmerman

The robotic demonstration of remote satellite repair on ISS resumed this week.

The latest round of demos follows a breakthrough round of ground-controlled activities in January using the 70-ft.-long Canadian robot arm/Dextre combination to sever lock wires and remove a mock fuel cap to flow 1.7 liters of ethanol fuel into the RMM.

The new tests will see if the robot arm can do even finer and more difficult tasks, such as unscrewing and storing a small screw.

DARPA’s project to harvest parts from abandoned geosynchronous satellites.

January 25, 2013 5:09 pm Robert Zimmerman

Salvage in space: DARPA’s project to harvest parts from abandoned geosynchronous satellites.

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Robot refueling test of satellites to be launched on last shuttle flight

June 13, 2011 10:09 pm Robert Zimmerman

A testbed for testing the robotic refueling of satellites will be installed on ISS on last shuttle flight.

This whole testbed is the brainchild of Frank Cepollina, the man behind all of the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions. Until recently it was doubtful there was room for this project on any shuttle mission. That he nonetheless managed to get it on the last flight is another testament to Cepollina’s incredible ability to get things done. And if the tests work on ISS, NASA will then consider launching operational systems for refueling several perfectly usable climate satellites now in orbit.