Endeavor Mission Update: Dextre Assembled

After two days of continuous work, NASA states that the Canadian robot Dextre assembly has been completed. Dextre put out quite a fight on the first spacewalk, when it suffered a power loss which stopped the crew of STS-123 from putting it together. Without power, Dextre was unable to heat the joints of its body, fact that could have resulted in a potential malfunction. Yesterday, while part of the crew was preparing for the scheduled spacewalk which is set to take place today, the astronauts tested the joints of its gangling arms.

During the spacewalk on Saturday, astronauts Richard Linnehan and Michael Roreman moved the arms of the robot and anchored them to the space station. Although the problems with the power was partially solved, the crew still encountered slight problems during assembly. While putting on one of the arms of the robot, Linnehan said : "We may have to get medieval on Mr. Dextre," as a pry bar was blocking a stuck bolt.

Eventually the build was completed, clearing the way for today's spacewalk when the astronauts will have to get the robot ready for service, with the assembly of a tool caddy, television cameras and other sub-assemblies critical for its correct operation. Dextre is supposed to be operated strictly from within the International Space Station, aiding in repair and maintenance operations, but also to assist astronauts during spacewalks.

At the end of the 12 day stay at the ISS, French astronaut Leopold Eyharts will be replaced by US astronaut Garrett Reisman who was flown to the ISS during STS-122, mission that delivered the European space laboratory Columbus. The heat shield of Endeavor appears to be in good condition, nonetheless the crew of the space shuttle will still have to conduct a critical experiment at the end of the mission, in order to test a heat shield repair technique recently developed by NASA.

Both the experiment and the retiring of the space shuttles by the end of 2010 are strictly related to the Columbia disaster in 2003, when the shuttle and its crew of seven perished due to a fatal incident that led to the damaging of the heat shield and the spacecraft's disintegration. Certain flaws in the design of the shuttles can no longer be ignored, therefore NASA has to complete the ISS build until 2010.

Additionally, the replacements for the US space shuttles will present the human race with a new opportunity to better explore the solar system, as manned missions on the Moon and maybe even Mars are expected to take place by 2020. Endeavor is expected to return to Earth on March 26, at the Kennedy Space Center.



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