Astronauts Park Robot Outside Space Lab

March 19, 2008 -- Dextre the robot got a prime parking spot at the International Space Station and should be able to keep it for at least a few months.

Astronauts moved the mechanical hulk to its new perch outside NASA's Destiny lab on Tuesday night, wrapping up nearly a week of robotic work.

Before they could relocate the robot, astronauts aboard the linked shuttle Endeavour and space station had to fold up Dextre's two arms, both of which have seven joints. It was a slow process that took an hour for each arm. The move itself, on the end of the space station's mechanical arm, went fairly quickly.

Dextre -- a 12-foot giant with 11-foot arms -- was launched into space in nine pieces aboard a transport bed, or pallet, that served as the robot-construction zone. Three spacewalks were needed to put the robot together. First, the hands were attached to the arms. Then the arms were connected to the torso. Finally, on Monday night, the eyes and tool belt were added.

The Canadian Space Agency supplied the $200 million-plus robot, conceived as an assistant to spacewalking astronauts. It may be months, or possibly even a year, before the robot is put to the test. That's how long it will take to check out the robot and allow an appropriate job to present itself.

Dextre's initial checkout went well, with just one minor flaw. When the waist joint was commanded to turn in preparation for the robot's relocation, it moved in the wrong direction, said flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho. Engineers believe the problem can be easily remedied with software.

At its new location, Dextre will be out of the way when Japan's massive Kibo lab arrives in May. The first part of Kibo, a storage compartment, flew up on Endeavour.