Canadarm2
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Japanese cargo ship set to dock with the ISS at 4:30 AM ET
Less than two weeks after Russia's Progress 65 ISS cargo ship blew up on route to the International Space Station (ISS), the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) is coming to save the day. After a successful launch, JAXA's Kounotori ("White Stork") HTV-6 has caught the ISS and is slowly moving toward the Harmony Module. Crew members Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet, stationed in the "Cupola," will use the Canadarm2 to wrangle it onto Harmony's Earthward dock. NASA will broadcast the attempt starting at 4:30AM ET, with the initial capture around 6AM ET. Broadcast of the final docking will start at 9:15 AM.
Watch astronauts install a space taxi dock on the ISS
Boeing and SpaceX are working on manned spacecraft that will send astronauts to the International Space Station as early as 2017, but before that happens, they need a place to dock. Crew aboard the space station are about to install the first of two international docking adapters that will let the taxis link up to the station. The six hour-plus mission, being livestreamed by NASA starting soon at 8:05 AM EST, will be performed by astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams, with a big mechanical assist from the Candarm2.
Robot fixes robot on the ISS so astronauts don't have to (video)
When something goes wrong with the ISS, astronauts usually don their suits and brave the harsh conditions of space to do what needs to be done. But the space station's Canadian robotic arm (aptly called Canadarm2) is currently attempting to fix itself with minimal human input, thanks to its very special passenger -- a multi-limbed helper robot called Dextre. Canadarm2 carries the handymanrobot around to fix anything that's broken on the ISS or to catch unmanned vehicles headed for the station, such as SpaceX's Dragon capsule. This time, though, Canada's Space Agency is remotely controlling Dextre to move and replace old cameras on Canadarm2 itself.
Canada puts its robot arms on $5 bills, leads the space currency race
Americans like to tease Canadians about their colorful (and often animal-themed) money, but we think the tables might just have turned. When the Bank of Canada issues a new $5 polymer bill this November, one side will include both the Canadarm2 and Dextre manipulator robots in tribute to the nation's work on both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Let that sink in for a moment: a country's currency will reference space robots alongside the usual politicians. The only thing dampening the awesomeness is the irony of it all, as it's an ode to technology in a format that's being destroyed by technology. Still, we'll consider the $5 note a victory for geeks everywhere when we're buying a box of Timbits.
