Space
Robotic Eyes Assist Satellite Repairs In Space
Rosanna Singh
First Posted: Nov 04, 2015 12:19 PM EST
NASA is developing new robotic technologies that will repair and service satellites in distant orbits. These robots will be operated with joysticks by technicians on the ground and they will carry out hands-on tasks that are required.
NASA's Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot (VIPIR) is a robotic, articulating borescope, which is equipped with zoom camera lens that will enable mission operators to use robotic eyes to detect meteoroid strikes and in satellite repair jobs, according to a NASA statement.
Earlier this year, NASA successfully demonstrated the VIPIR's capabilities. NASA is planning to use VIPIR in their Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), which is in the second stage of its on-orbit demonstration aboard the International Space Station.
At the moment, RRM is using Dextre, which is a two-armed robotic handyman from the Canadian Space Agency, to demonstrate how robots can service and refuel satellites in space. In the RRM's third stage, NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office team is planning to do a demonstration by transferring xenon, a colorless, dense noble gas,which is useful for powering ion engines, according to the study.
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First Posted: Nov 04, 2015 12:19 PM EST
NASA is developing new robotic technologies that will repair and service satellites in distant orbits. These robots will be operated with joysticks by technicians on the ground and they will carry out hands-on tasks that are required.
NASA's Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot (VIPIR) is a robotic, articulating borescope, which is equipped with zoom camera lens that will enable mission operators to use robotic eyes to detect meteoroid strikes and in satellite repair jobs, according to a NASA statement.
Earlier this year, NASA successfully demonstrated the VIPIR's capabilities. NASA is planning to use VIPIR in their Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), which is in the second stage of its on-orbit demonstration aboard the International Space Station.
At the moment, RRM is using Dextre, which is a two-armed robotic handyman from the Canadian Space Agency, to demonstrate how robots can service and refuel satellites in space. In the RRM's third stage, NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office team is planning to do a demonstration by transferring xenon, a colorless, dense noble gas,which is useful for powering ion engines, according to the study.
Related Articles
'Smoke Ring' Halo Spotted By Hubble Space Telescope
Star Bigger Than The Sun Is Being Formed: Researchers Examine How Stars Are Created
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone