Canada's most famous robotic technology made its space debut in 1981. The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System, or Canadarm, was launched on the Space Shuttle Columbia to manoeuvre satellites, telescopes and other cargo from the payload bay and release them into space.
Since the first shuttle launch, a Canadarm has been installed on each of the five Space Shuttles. These robotic “arms” have been used to set a number of satellites into orbit, retrieve others for repair, and move astronauts from one section of the shuttle to another. A Canadarm was even used to capture the Hubble Space Telescope for in-orbit upgrades by astronauts.
The Canadarm has also been used successfully in a number of unanticipated tasks. After heat shield damage caused the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia, engineers affixed cameras to the Canadarm to help subsequent astronauts make visual inspections of their shuttle’s heat shields before returning to Earth. A Canadarm has even been used to knock ice off of a wastewater dumping vent and to loosen a jammed solar array panel.
Moviegoers around the world also benefit from the Canadarm! Two IMAX cameras are attached to the lower boom of each Canadarm to convey the experience of space travel to movie goers around the world.
Beyond serving a critical role in human spaceflight, the Canadarm has helped to firmly establish Canada's international reputation for robotics and aerospace innovation. Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) oversees the use of the Canadarm and developed the Mobile Servicing System for the International Space Station (ISS). This system includes a larger, “smarter” version of the Canadarm – nicknamed Canadarm2 – that is helping to build the space station and perform delicate assembly tasks previously handled by astronauts.
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