The Swirling
Brain sent us a link to a CNN
story about the launch of a prototype autonomous satellite repair
robot. There are actually two robots involved, known together as Orbital Express. The
first is the refueling and servicing robot called ASTRO, which is loaded
with 300 pounds of hydrazine propellent and includes a manipulator arm
and docking mechanism. Inaddition to refueling, the robot can also
replace electronics modules aboard satellites. The other robot, called
NextSat, is a demonstration prototype of a next generation
onorbit-servicable satellite. The $300 million demonstration vehicles
were built by Boeing as a joint venture between NASA and DARPA. The goal
is to find a way to extend the life of future civilian and miltary
satellites. There will be a series of tests to demonstrate autonomous
proximity operations and docking, refueling, and servicing procedures.
For more details see this week's NASA
news release about the mission.
Source: http://www.netchain.com
No comments:
Post a Comment