EON

Dextre Transferred To ISS Space Station Successfully

Cape Canaveral, Florida- Another shuttle mission has ended, this time a record-breaking mission of 16 days.

The Shuttle Endeavor accomplished many tasks during its stay at the International Space Station including the installation of a highly anticipated new robotic arm.  The arm manufactured and designed by ISS partner and ally Canada is named Dextre.

The new robotic Dextre arm promises to assist in moving large objects on the International Space Station from the safety of the ISS cabin, without having to venture out on dangerous space walks.

The robot is a 3,400 pound, 12 foot long huge item, but could be installed without a lot of fuss.  Over the next year the robot arm will be gradually ran through its paces, and it promises to fill a huge need on the International Space Station.

The Shuttle Endeavor touched town safely at 8:40pm in a rare nighttime landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission accomplished a number of objectives besides the installation of the robotic Dextre arm. A Japanese laboratory was installed, as well as a number of other mission objectives.

This shuttle trip to the International Space Station is the longest at 16 days since the construction of the ISS began. There were five spacewalks completed during the mission. “The Space Station is an international effort, we now have a world based space flight program in cooperation here at the International Space Station,” said Dr. Michael Griffin.

Dr. Michael Griffin is the head administrator for NASA.