Daily Archives: April 12, 2014

WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Robonaut 2, NASA's robotic astronaut torso, floats about the International Space Station without any legs. But that's about to change, thanks to NASA engineers.

NASA scientists have built R2 a set of high-tech, 9-foot-long legs. The legs are more like big long sloth arms than human legs -- ultra long and flexible with seven joints. Instead of feet, the legs are outfitted with "end effector," which will lock in, via sockets, to tools and handrails.

"The new legs are designed for work both inside and outside the station, but upgrades to R2's upper body will be necessary before it can begin work outside the space station," NASA officials said in a news statement.

R2's new legs will ship up to the space station on Monday, April 14, aboard SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule.

SpaceX is the private space launch company founded by PayPal entrepreneur and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. The outfit has already completed three separate mission resupply missions to the space station. Dragon will take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA says some of the technologies that helped engineers craft R2's new legs could prove useful on Earth. Scientists are currently working on a robotic exoskeleton that could aid people with physical disabilities.

[NASA] [Christian Science Monitor]

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NASA to send International Space Station android a pair of legs

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The International Space Station. Credit: NASA

A backup computer that controls some systems associated with robotics on the International Space Station is not responding to commands, NASA said in a late-night statement Eastern time Friday (April 11).

The crew is safe, theres no immediate change to space station operations, and because the primary computer is working, theres also no alteration to the SpaceX Dragon launch to the station on Mondaywhich requires the robotic Canadarm2 for berthing. NASA added, however, that there are further evaluations going on, meaning the date could change depending on what controllers figure out.

If the computer does need to be replaced, crew members of Expedition 39 will need to do at least one spacewalk, the agency added. NASA is allowing contingency spacewalks in American spacesuits to go forward as the agency addresses problems raised in a report about a life-threatening spacesuit leak in July.

Below the jump is the statement NASA put out tonight concerning the situation.

The Mission Control team at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houstonconfirmed Friday night that a backup computer on the exterior of theInternational Space Station (ISS) called a Multiplexer-Demultiplexer (MDM)is not responding to commands. The stations MDM computers control some systems associated with robotics aboard the space station.

The primary MDM operating aboard thespace station is functioning normally and there is no immediate impact tospace station operations. The computer outage does not pose a risk to thesix crew members aboard the space station. ISS teams are assessing next steps toattempt to bring the computer back online or replace it.

Replacingthe backup MDM, if needed, would require a spacewalk. The backup MDM would provide redundancy for robotic systemsthat will be needed to attach the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft currentlyscheduled to launch on Monday and rendezvous with the ISS on Wednesday.NASA is continuing to work toward a Monday launch of the SpaceX cargoresupply mission pending further evaluations by the ISS Program. Thelatest information will be available here atwww.nasa.gov/station.

We will keep you apprised as the situation progresses.

See more here:
Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says