Canadian-built Dextre robot set for delivery to space station
By Donald Melanson 
posted Mar 7th 2008 3:33PM
posted Mar 7th 2008 3:33PM
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.
But does it play hockey?
No but it can pour you a hot double-double in a jiffy. It'll even roll up the rim for you!
Another round of canuck-jokes mashed with standard Engadget cliches, eh? It's aboot time you ppl stopped.
What part of "made in Canada" did you not understand? Of course it can play hockey! (at $200m+ it better, anyways)
Yeah, I almost made a curling joke, but decided to take the high ground.
Yes, but will it blend?
O Canada!
Oh please oh please tell me those are laser pistols for hands... oh please :-)
Is the space station made of Lego™?
By the way, Donald, Endeavour has a U in it.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/endeavour-info.html
obviously it's male - or is that the boom arm?
Nope... that's for space-docking.
thats what she said
No joke... that thing has a giant Canadian erection!
Will it open the pod bay doors?
I'm sorry, Dextre, I can't do that.
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
Dextre? Is that a French Canadian serial killer?
Sky Net is Coming Eh?!
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?
NASA called. They think you are funny...
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.....
Sodomy alert for Voltron!
This is very short term thinking...
The cost of sending up beer to fuel the thing will be its downfall.
More info on Canadian contributions to space exploration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Space_Agency#Canadian_Space_Program
am I the only one who thinks this looks like an echochrome stage?
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.
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 ..."
Can we have the step by step lego instructions now?
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...
Trust the wonderful Canadian sense of humour to give an insterstellar robot a strategically placed phallic shaped mechanical arm
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.
Dee Dee get out of my space laboratory
"No joke... that thing has a giant Canadian erection!"
No joke...is there any other kind? ;-)
God keep our land glorious and free!
Oh Canada!
So proud to be Canadian!!!
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"
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.
Danny----Email me! jjrcrawford@yahoo.com please!
Hmmm... well going by the traditional naming system. "Canada Arm"
I shall be proud of the "Canada Cock Robot".
Is nobody going to welcome our new Canadian overlords? Or is that too far fetched even for engadget.