Space mission STS-123 to be a marathon
Dextre robot addition to ISSCourtesy Canadian Space Agency
STS-123's 16 day mission
The space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 crew is on track for a March 11 launch to the space station for a marathon construction flight expected to last about 16 days. The busy construction flight will include five spacewalks to assemble the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robot Dextre, install the first segment of Japan's massive Kibo laboratory, test a shuttle heat shield repair method and deliver spare parts to the ISS. Europe's maiden ISS cargo ship Jules Verne will hover nearby, waiting to deliver its load of cargo.
Japan will add components to the ISS
Japanese astronaut Takao Doi will help deliver the storage room for his country's Kibo laboratory to the ISS for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Japan's Kibo facility consists of a storage pod, a massive pressurized laboratory and an external platform equipped with its own robotic arm.
Canadian Space Agency will assemble a huge robot
Putting together Dextre, a Canadian robot, will be one of the main jobs for the seven Endeavour astronauts. Standing 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide, Dextre has two 7 jointed arms that are each 11 feet long.
Repairing heat shield tiles
When the space shuttle Atlantis flies to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in August, any damage to its space tiles will need to be repaired in space. Waiting for rescue at the space station will not be an option. A practice run of such a repair will be carried out on this mission.
Learn more - 114 page info packet
For a really complete information package describing the STS-123 mission in detail you might check out this 114 page press release (4.4MB, pdf).
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The first of Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV) named Jules Verne is on its way to the International Space Station. In addition to delivering more than 15,000 lbs of cargo, this ATV will give the ISS a boost into a higher orbit. After 6 months it will be loaded with about 13,000 lbs of waste and fall back to Earth. You can see an animation of Jules Verne's entire mission here.
i would love to go into space
I really dont know much about the space shuttles and stuff but there is a couple of diferent countries working on this project.
Yadadamean!!!
thus it is called the international space station for a reason\
I really like the idea of going into space. I think it's a better way of helping earth. Maybe stop putting so much pressure on it... So for this mission to almost "try" and take place, I like it a lot. I hope they succeed
Candice
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this is pretty cool going out to space
man i have always wanted to go to space just to see how pretty it is there... man i think it would be so tight if i got the chance to go it would be no hesatation fa real i'll be the first thing smoken to space..... im not playin lol
I wanna go to space just to float around in the space shuttle nd eat popcorn or chips like in The Simpsons.... HaHa!!
Hope i live long enought to see *life in space* and new technology keep improving them self
thats really cool how its the WORLD space station. i like how all the countries contribute something. i remember when it was just a plan. to see that plan come through is awesome
BOOYAKASHA!
i wanna space walk that would be the s**t. look at all those stars oh pretty lights.
i want a milky way
Astronauts remedied a power glitch with a giant robot, Dextre, outside the International Space Station (ISS) last night (click to read more).
why doesnt the robot work in the first place huh?
Someone screwed up.
polar bears are in danger!They need our help
i love space. its so cool!
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