Space has been labeled the final frontier (most notably by a certain starship captain), and we as human beings have been pushing our limits in various attempts to explore it. NASA has created technology so advanced that people can actually live up there for extended periods of time, equipped with everything they’d ever need to survive. Unfortunately, we do still have boundaries: satellites sometimes need repair and maintenance performed but humans are incapable of getting to them. The solution? Robots!
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The Robot Refueling Mission (RRM) allows robots (specifically the Canadian-designed Dextre) to refuel, repair, and maintain satellites in both near and distant orbits. The tools they have designed are uniquely adapted to handle zero-gravity. Think about how difficult small screws and micro fasteners are to manage: aligning the screwdriver bit onto the custom micro screw heads takes a certain finesse (and a fair amount of trial and error), and screws have the irritating ability to fly right out of their mounts and get lost in the fray of their surroundings. When you factor in a lack of gravity, robot operators, and NASA’s mandate for extreme cleanliness, the need for a tool that can manage such a complex situation is dire — especially when considering just how many screws there may be on a satellite.
A few years ago, RRM completed the project. The Torque Set Adapter allowed the robot to properly align the tip of the tool with unscrewed fasteners, but this time it had a useful addition: the Safety Cap Tool.
“The small cage over one of the fasteners is designed with an opening just large enough for the tool tip, but small enough to prevent a screw from floating away,” stated the announcement. “The other fastener, with a stopper at the tip, was secured from within, allowing operators to practice the same task without the support and guidance of the cage.”
With over 200 billion fasteners being used in the U.S. every year, the development made a necessary job much more manageable and potentially aided in the advancement of other industries that use custom micro screws. It may not sound like much, but it has a big impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of robots like Dextre, who have no help once they’re sent to a satellite. One small step for robots, one giant leap for robotkind.