What is it?
The real name of the well-known ‘Canadarm’ is actually: Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS). NASA took a chance trusting one of the most important project to a relatively new Canadian engineering team in 1975. They didn't expect the great outcome that would follow. The Canadarm made it's space debut on the Space Shuttle Columbia on November 13, 1981. It was the first of its kind with the ability to capture a free-floating payload in a zero-gravity environment.
Operating the Canadarm meant moving it very accurately and slowly over a distance of millimetres, which required a lot of precision and care. The slightest contact with an object in space, regardless of size, would send it spinning away.
Operating the Canadarm meant moving it very accurately and slowly over a distance of millimetres, which required a lot of precision and care. The slightest contact with an object in space, regardless of size, would send it spinning away.
Where,When & How did it happen?
In 1974 Thomas Paine, then Administrator of NASA, visited Canada with a tantalizing a proposal: help the United States build its new Space Transportation System - the "Space Shuttle." Canada carefully reviewed its capabilities and chose to build the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System: the RMS, (aka Canadarm).
Every part of the Canadarm had to be thought through from scratch. NASA's design requirements were severe and for most of the project, new techniques had to be devised to produce parts meeting all the demands. Most of Canadarm's initial $100 million cost went for testing. Because it was designed to work in airless, weightless space, the arm could not support even its own weight on earth, so one of Spar's Canadian suppliers had built a test rig for use on a very flat floor, before it was actually launched into space.
Canadarm now takes its place as a vital component of NASA's Space Transportation System. With the success of the third launch, the attention of NASA will move away from the Shuttle system itself and on to the deploying of cargo in space (The Canadarm - A Canadian Success)
Every part of the Canadarm had to be thought through from scratch. NASA's design requirements were severe and for most of the project, new techniques had to be devised to produce parts meeting all the demands. Most of Canadarm's initial $100 million cost went for testing. Because it was designed to work in airless, weightless space, the arm could not support even its own weight on earth, so one of Spar's Canadian suppliers had built a test rig for use on a very flat floor, before it was actually launched into space.
Canadarm now takes its place as a vital component of NASA's Space Transportation System. With the success of the third launch, the attention of NASA will move away from the Shuttle system itself and on to the deploying of cargo in space (The Canadarm - A Canadian Success)
How has it contributed to the Canadian Identity?
Over the course of more than 50 missions and after nearly 7,000 orbits around the earth it has never (ever) malfunctioned. The "arm in space" is one of Canada's greatest engineering achievements (The Canadarm).
The Canadarm served as a means for Canada to establish international reputation for robotics innovation. It generated the family of Canadian robotics on board the International Space Station (ISS), as well as many future generations to come.
Its excellent performance record has inspired several generations of scientists and engineers as they develop new technologies for various other applications. Their decision, in 1975, to build it has meant that Canadians are responsible for one of the most significant advances in space engineering—the Canadarm.
Overall, the Canadarm was a major piece of engineering for both the Shuttle, the ISS, and Canada. The Shuttle's arm was used to capture satellites, act as a support beam for men working on the space station, and for lifting and moving equipment out of the shuttle's cargo bay. The Canadarm became an enduring symbol of Canadian ingenuity, and branded our country as a world leader in space-age technology.
The Canadarm served as a means for Canada to establish international reputation for robotics innovation. It generated the family of Canadian robotics on board the International Space Station (ISS), as well as many future generations to come.
Its excellent performance record has inspired several generations of scientists and engineers as they develop new technologies for various other applications. Their decision, in 1975, to build it has meant that Canadians are responsible for one of the most significant advances in space engineering—the Canadarm.
Overall, the Canadarm was a major piece of engineering for both the Shuttle, the ISS, and Canada. The Shuttle's arm was used to capture satellites, act as a support beam for men working on the space station, and for lifting and moving equipment out of the shuttle's cargo bay. The Canadarm became an enduring symbol of Canadian ingenuity, and branded our country as a world leader in space-age technology.
Sources:
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- "Canadarm." Canadian Space Agency Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2013. <http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/canadarm/Default.asp>
- "The Canadarm." 101 Things Canadians Should Know About Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2013. <http://www.101things.ca/topten.php?item=5>.
- "The Canadarm - A Canadian Success." The Canadarm - Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2013. <http://www.ieee.ca/millennium/canadarm/canadarm_home.html>.
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