Canadian-built Dextre robot set for delivery to space station

It may be not be the only bot on the block for long but, for now at least, the Canadian-built Dextre robot has the spotlight to itself, with it set to blast off Tuesday on board the shuttle Endeavor for delivery to its new home on the International Space Station. As USA Today reports, the robot has been some ten years in the making (at a cost of $210 million), and is designed to handle many of the tasks that would otherwise be done by astronauts on spacewalks. Those astronauts will still have a job for a while yet, with one of the main tasks during Endeavor's mission obviously being the assembly of Dextre, which is currently broken down into nine parts. Even after that's done, however, Dextre apparently won't start work until sometime in 2009, at which point it'll be able to replace nearly 140 parts on the ISS, and be controlled either by mission control or the crew on the space station.

[Dan Davis @ Mar 7th 2008 3:39PM]

But does it play hockey?

[Craig @ Mar 7th 2008 3:45PM]

No but it can pour you a hot double-double in a jiffy. It'll even roll up the rim for you!

[r3loaded @ Mar 7th 2008 3:46PM]

Another round of canuck-jokes mashed with standard Engadget cliches, eh? It's aboot time you ppl stopped.

[Jonathan Zencovich @ Mar 7th 2008 3:48PM]

What part of "made in Canada" did you not understand? Of course it can play hockey! (at $200m+ it better, anyways)

[Dan Davis @ Mar 7th 2008 3:49PM]

Yeah, I almost made a curling joke, but decided to take the high ground.

[Andrew Godbehere @ Mar 7th 2008 7:25PM]

Yes, but will it blend?

[Sukhminder @ Mar 7th 2008 7:37PM]

O Canada!

[Fraggle.Rock @ Mar 7th 2008 3:46PM]

Oh please oh please tell me those are laser pistols for hands... oh please :-)

[StephenD @ Mar 7th 2008 3:56PM]

Is the space station made of Lego™?

[StephenD @ Mar 7th 2008 3:58PM]

By the way, Donald, Endeavour has a U in it.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/endeavour-info.html

[booger62 @ Mar 7th 2008 4:03PM]

obviously it's male - or is that the boom arm?

[Dan Davis @ Mar 7th 2008 4:06PM]

Nope... that's for space-docking.

[Wes Rice @ Mar 7th 2008 4:13PM]

thats what she said

[JR @ Mar 7th 2008 4:13PM]

No joke... that thing has a giant Canadian erection!

[Fall-Apart @ Mar 7th 2008 4:19PM]

Will it open the pod bay doors?

[ethana2 @ Mar 8th 2008 3:23AM]

I'm sorry, Dextre, I can't do that.

[Ron Smith @ Mar 7th 2008 4:40PM]

what about the Japanese Kibo Experiment Logistics Module? Or how about the fact that the Orbiter Boom Sensor system will be left at the ISS at the end of the mission? There is a ton more about this mission, see here since this article doesnt seem to offer too much information

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=4

[Warren @ Mar 7th 2008 4:41PM]

Dextre? Is that a French Canadian serial killer?

[der00 @ Mar 7th 2008 4:55PM]

Sky Net is Coming Eh?!

[Evan @ Mar 7th 2008 5:09PM]

Now that the U.S. has our arm, how about the U.S. starts launching the allotment of Canadian astronauts that they promised us in return for Canada's robot and participation in the space program?

[IndiaTech @ Mar 8th 2008 12:56AM]

NASA called. They think you are funny...

[Canadian Ang @ Mar 7th 2008 5:23PM]

I can just imagine the conversation that took place:

"So, where should we put the 'Canada' logo?"

"On the phallic-looking part of it of course. We have to show the world our virility, especially now since the CN Tower is no longer the world's tallest erection."

"Yeah! And while we're at it, let's make it disproportionately large - it can probably help up pick up some chicks!"

Oh Canada indeed.....

[Onetruebill @ Mar 7th 2008 5:42PM]

This is very short term thinking...
The cost of sending up beer to fuel the thing will be its downfall.

[Russ @ Mar 7th 2008 6:15PM]

More info on Canadian contributions to space exploration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Space_Agency#Canadian_Space_Program

[idiot @ Mar 7th 2008 6:19PM]

am I the only one who thinks this looks like an echochrome stage?

[matt @ Mar 7th 2008 6:38PM]

Sodomy alert for Voltron!

[tommy @ Mar 7th 2008 6:53PM]

Whoa, look at the big armed brute....and what's he doing with that CANADA TUBE. Hey watch where you point that thing!!! Who Knows what uses the robot will put that to.

[wxjunkie @ Mar 7th 2008 7:40PM]

Nineteen useless words at the beginning of this sentence:
"It may be not be the only bot on the block for long but, for now at least, the ..."

[Sendeshi @ Mar 7th 2008 7:52PM]

Can we have the step by step lego instructions now?

[M @ Mar 8th 2008 3:41AM]

Trust the wonderful Canadian sense of humour to give an insterstellar robot a strategically placed phallic shaped mechanical arm

[Steve @ Mar 8th 2008 4:32AM]

We'll just shove 'er into a hollowed out log that's been shaved to a point at one end and slingshot 'er up there with some bungee cord tied off to a couple Maples eh.

[Nathan @ Mar 8th 2008 4:35AM]

Proud to be Canadian!! Funny, were sending a state of the art robot into space using seventies tech...come on U.S. ...it time for something new...

[Phrog @ Mar 8th 2008 10:24AM]

Dee Dee get out of my space laboratory

[frankXchange @ Mar 9th 2008 12:49AM]

"No joke... that thing has a giant Canadian erection!"

No joke...is there any other kind? ;-)

[The Guy @ Mar 10th 2008 11:18AM]

God keep our land glorious and free!

Oh Canada!

So proud to be Canadian!!!

[nerdzo @ Mar 10th 2008 6:22PM]

Hey Canada has done so more to the world than the US. You people don't even give us credit for the Canada arm, you just call it the "robot arm"

[Danny Maccabee @ Mar 16th 2008 8:31PM]

Come on, people! Not all us Yanks are so pigheaded that we feel the need to belittle our northerly neighbors. Dextre is a superb example of Canadian technology at its finest. Hey, why didn't anybody at MIT come up with it first? Huh?

To the folks up north, I salute you, for your neighborliness in the face of so much arrogance from the hicks down here. Your country has so many advantages over the USA and that's something to be proud of.

[Jaimee Crawford @ Mar 21st 2008 10:34PM]

Danny----Email me! [e-mail] please!

[Cheapo @ Mar 19th 2008 11:37AM]

Hmmm... well going by the traditional naming system. "Canada Arm"

I shall be proud of the "Canada Cock Robot".

[allterrainbane @ Mar 21st 2008 9:21PM]

Is nobody going to welcome our new Canadian overlords? Or is that too far fetched even for engadget.