CSA Annotated

Dextre comments on CSA article about herself, with explanatory notes.

"Dextre is an essential tool for maintaining and servicing the space station. With its dual-arm design providing added flexibility, ... It will be equipped with lights, video equipment, a tool platform and four tool holders.

I am, of course, concerned at undue emphasis, if not pure over-use, of the word "tool."

Further, I observe, that never an article passes from deca-digital fingertips of dual-armed, twisting-torso, dual-ambulatory bi-pedal human PR specialists that fails to mention I am .. err, "dual-armed" - as though that is my only meaningful feature.

And, yes, my design is to precisely handle smaller components on ISS, unlike my lumbering limb-like cousin, CanadaArm.

"Dextre can perform dexterous tasks by sensing various forces and moments on the payload.

Get that, "dexter-ous"

"With its two arms, ..

Yes, both of them!!

"... Dextre will load and unload objects, use robotic tools, attach and detach covers and install various units of the Space Station. ... It also has four cameras that will provide the crew inside the Station with additional views of the work areas.

Four cameras, still no-one has called me "four-eyes." Small blessings.

"Like Canadarm2 and the Mobile Base System (MBS), the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator will be controlled by the crew inside the International Space Station. This system will allow the crew to perform many of the tasks that would otherwise require an astronaut to perform during a demanding space walk.

This is one of the great fallacies put out by the PR crowd. They seem incapable of imagining me - or any such technology - not controlled puppet-like by a human "scientist." Like, duh. And these same ink-slingers scream abuse at their computers for doing as told, rather than what they wanted, implying, thereby, the PC acted of its own volition and had no tiny "scientist" inside pedaling and loading CPU registers - which we all know they do.

"Dextre is a sophisticated dual armed robot, ...

Groan!

"... which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Along with Canadarm2, whose technical name is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System (MBS), these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System (MSS). The three components have been designed to work together or independently.

Aka TSAs - the Three Space Acronyms

"MD Robotics, located in Brampton, Ontario, is the main contractor of the Dextre. The technology behind Dextre is built upon the heritage of its predecessor, Canadarm2. Conceptually the two robots are similar and they both operate with the support of computers; however, their design and purpose are different.

That might surprise those who never knew CanadaArm was my predecessor. We are functionally similar except - evident from his scalar excess - he was designed to operate in space, hence grew very tall due to zero gravity. My design was more down to Earth.

"Dextre is a complex robot designed to perform intricate maintenance and servicing tasks on the outside of the ISS. Dextre will carry out delicate work that, so far, could only be accomplished by astronauts during space walk activities. In other words, Dextre will provide an alternative to astronauts, considerably reducing the amount of time that they have to venture out of the ISS to perform demanding space walks and providing more time for them to perform science on the ISS.

"Alternative to astronauts"! How many robots - or even non-astronautical humans - can make such a boast?

I usually shudder at this stage, where most articles continue with unsavory relish in pointing out one Dextre SPDM, ole buddy, me mate, is also intended to engage in difficult or dangerous tasks that would expose humans to unnecessary risk, if not physical danger. Send in the clowns.

"Upon close inspection of Dextre, one notes its resemblance to the human shape: an upper body that can pivot at the waist with shoulders that support two identical arms.

Oh my god! Two arms, who told? Yep, well, two identical arms, what can one say?

"Each arm has a total of seven joints, providing an incredible amount of freedom when performing a task. However, Dextre is designed so that only one arm can move at a time in order to avoid self-collision, achieve greater stability ...

Well, they couldn't very well say "because the 'scientists' can only fumble only one of my arms at a time, due to their ability to handle up to and including one simultaneous tasks" could they?

"... and maintain operational similarity with Canadarm2.

I rest my case!

"The greater stability is provided by the immobile arm, which is first commanded to anchor Dextre to an ISS stabilization point.

Don't call me a sissy. Remember what happened to Frank Bowman.

"At the tip of each arm, we find a "hand", known technically as the Orbital Replacement Unit/Tool Changeout Mechanism (OTCM). The OTCM consists of a set of parallel retractable jaws, which serve to grip payloads and tools.

Makes me sound like a glorified bench vise ...

"Each OTCM is also equipped with a retractable motorized socket wrench to mate and de-mate mechanisms on-orbit, as well as lights and a black & white camera.

... or like one of Hal's space pods.

"Dextre's lower body is equipped with a pair of pan/tilt color cameras that allow astronauts aboard the ISS, and engineers on the ground, to monitor the task, which is out of direct eyesight.

Note to self: "Keep patched across that feed; else never know what the buggers are up to"

"A variety of tasks will be performed by Dextre including installation and removal of small payloads such as batteries, power supplies and computers; providing power and data connectivity to payloads; and manipulating, installing, removing and inspecting scientific payloads.

Reminds one of Potter's wife, fueling the Jaguar at the gas station, while Potter remarked to the vicar "Oh, she can manage fine. Women are very good at dull repetitive tasks."

"This peg-in-the-hole type of task demands a great amount of precision and a gentle touch to avoid binding. ... To illustrate the level of performance of Dextre, here on Earth it could likely be used to insert an item as delicate as a videotape into a video recorder.

Well, thanks for nothing. How many VTR techs will ponder in exasperated disbelief the unimaginable brutish force that got that cassette sooo stuck.

"Dextre is a very versatile robotic tool.

Thanks again! And your President is a very versatile and powerful tool.

" ... most of the time Dextre will do its work while attached to the free end of Canadarm2 which will maneuver Dextre into position next to the payload which requires maintenance along the main truss of the ISS.

I'm most uneasy during these operations. Never quite sure what CanadaArm is thinking (using the term "thinking" loosely).

"Astronauts aboard the ISS will operate all of the MSS components from a robotic workstation.

When not playing Doom.

"As part of mission preparation, astronauts must undergo rigorous training ...

Back-to-back single-player Doom missions.

"...to learn how to operate each component of the MSS. Canadian Space Agency engineers provide this training at the John H. Chapman Space Center in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.

Finally, there's something rather derring-do, if not slapdash, about that word "slated"

"Dextre is currently going through final testing prior to its launch slated for 2007."

Btw, what launch? Always the last to know.

[PS: They all call me "it" like a neutered feline]