Canadian Space Agency
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Table of Contents
Mission Interviews
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Director, Operations Engineering and Program Manager, Canadian Space Agency
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Canadian Space Agency astronaut
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Mission Specialist representing CNES, the French Space Agency
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Canadian Space Agency astronaut
Interview with Benoît Marcotte
The Canadarm2 Use on the ISS
Benoît Marcotte, Director, Operations Engineering and Program Manager, Canadian Space Agency, describes the Canadarm2 operations during the last ISS missions as well as the Canadarm2 operations during STS-111.
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Real Media (1 MB) |
MBS Role
Benoît Marcotte, Director, Operations Engineering and Program Manager, Canadian Space Agency, describes the Canadian Mobile Base System role on the ISS.
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Real Media (730 KB) |
Interview with Dr. Robert (Bob) Brent Thirsk
The Role of CAPCOM
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dr. Robert (Bob) Brent Thirsk describes his role as CAPCOM (capsule communicator) during mission STS-111.
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Real Media (541 KB) |
Interview with Philippe Perrin
Interview: STS-111 mission specialist Philippe Perrin
Mission Specialist Philippe Perrin representing CNES, the French Space Agency, describes the installation of the Canadian Mobile Base System (MBS) during Mission STS-111/UF2, May 30 - June 11, 2002.
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Real Media (894 KB) |
The Canadarm2 Wrist Joint Replacement
Mission Specialist Philippe Perrin representing CNES, the French Space Agency, describes the replacement of the Canadarm2 wrist joint during Mission STS-111/UF2, May 30 - June 11, 2002.
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Real Media (1,4 MB) |
Interview with Steve MacLean
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Steve MacLean describes the installation of the Canadian Mobile Base System (MBS) during Mission STS-111/UF2, May 30 - June 11, 2002.
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Real Media(1,6 MB) |
Transcript
Canadarm2 has been relatively busy since its installation. Its first real task was to install the Joint Airlock on the ISS – that was in July 2001. After that the big assembly tasks were basically done, until April of this year. But in the mean time, the crew continued to maintain proficiency using the arm; they also performed hundreds of inspections of the Station, using the cameras [on Canadarm2] to view worksites – future worksite – dockings, undockings, water dumps, to make sure we characterize some of the dynamic activities going on on the Station.
Obviously, the latest, most important portion of the tasks of Canadarm2 was to install the first segment of the main Truss going across the Station and that was done on mission 8A in April.
The Mobile Base System is, as its name implies, a mobile base. It will enable Canadarm2 to move along the Station from one end to the other, where the solar arrays are mounted. First and foremost, the Base will be a place where we can temporarily store those major truss elements that will have to be mounted. It will also enable Canadarm2 to move to the location where they have to be installed. Afterward it will also become the base for the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator when that third element goes on orbit, later.
There are many people that work at the Mission Control Center, one person is called the CapCom. The CapCom is always an astronaut and is the person who is primarily responsible for all voice communications between the Mission Control Center and the onboard astronauts. So, CapComs not only voice up instructions to the orbiting crew, they also listen to the crew's comments and make sure that all procedures and written communications to the onboard crew is practical and efficient as well.
The Mobile Base System is a major payload; it would be way too big for any astronaut to install by himself, so we need the assistance of Canadarm2. Canadarm2 is going to take this piece of equipment and put it on a truss (that is not mocked up here). But when this is done, you need the dexterity of a human hand to go and fine-tune the installation and basically mate all the connectors and bolt all the bolts. That's where basically Franklin [Chang-Diaz] and I are going to show up, helped by an electrical tool that is going to allow us to really bolt these big bolts.
I think it's easy if you compare Canadarm2 with a human arm, and you can say that something is wrong with the wrist (the wrist being right here). This is me. Basically, I'm going working on that wrist and I'll need to be restrained in some way. To do that, we're going to use the Canadarm (you have to imagine that Shuttle being here, docked to the Station, and the Canadarm being somehow like that). So, I'm going to be standing here, working on these connections, and what I need to do first is take out, basically, the extremity of the Arm – what would be like the hand – and hang that somewhere on the Lab. Then I need to change out the joint, the faulty joint, and put a new one instead. When this is done, I can put the "hand," the extremity of the Arm, back in place.
I'm not just by myself: on the other side, we've got Franklin Chang-Diaz. He's got his feet restrained in a foot restrain attached to the Lab. So we are facing each other and helping each other do that task, which should take about five hours.
STS-111 is a great mission. The mission that we just had [STS-110] is sort of a precursor for STS-111, where we are going to take up the MBS – the Mobile Base System. On this mission that we just had, we launched the first "railroad" into space: we put up the first truss [segment], with the Mobile Transporter that sits on that truss. We actually have the first railroad that's going to operate in space.
On UF2, or STS-111, we take up the Base that sits on that Mobile Transporter. This Base is going to be the centre for many different activities. It's going to be the base for the SSRMS – the first Canadian contribution to the ISS – Canadam2, that big robot arm that we have. It's going to be the centre for all activity for EVAs. We're going to have two CETA carts (Crew Equipment Translation Aids); basically, all our toolboxes for spacewalking, all equipment we need for spacewalking is on these CETA carts. One will be on one side of the MBS and the other will be on the other side of the MBS. And this MBS, once the Station is complete, can move back and forth along its railroad, about 100 metres in length. All activity is centred on there. It will be a storage platform for different payloads it'll be used to do maintenance at the end of the solar panels: all the activity you can think of outside, is centred on that. So it clearly is the hub, the train station for that train that we have on orbit.
