Starship Asterisk*

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002927/ wrote:
Discovery GO for February 24 Launch
by Ken Kremer Feb. 24, 2011

The R2 robonaut is loaded aboard Discovery and will become the first humanoid robot in space as a member of the ISS crew. The twin brother of R2 has been upgraded and was given a set of wheels to roam about the KSC press site to watch the Feb. 24 launch of his brother.

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NASA shuttle managers announced a unanimous GO for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery at today's briefing for reporters at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

The weather forecast remains very positive with an 80% chance of acceptable conditions at launch time according to Kathy Winters, the shuttle weather officer. The only concern is a chance for a localized offshore shower in the late afternoon. Today's weather at KSC was overcast, foggy and chilly and would have delayed the liftoff.

Discovery is set to launch on Feb. 24 at 4:50 p.m. EST on its 39th and final flight. Only two flights remain until the shuttles are retired.

The goal of the STS-133 mission is to deliver the "Leonardo" Permanent Multipurpose Module to the ISS. Leonardo is packed with science gear, life support supplies, critical spare parts and the R2 Robonaut. R2 will become the first humanoid robot in space and officially join the ISS crew as a permanent resident of the station. >>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robonaut wrote:
<<Robonaut is a humanoid robotic development project conducted by the Dextrous Robotics Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Robonaut is a different class of robot than other current space-faring robots. While most current space robotic systems focus on moving large objects — such as robotic arms, cranes and exploration rovers — Robonaut's tasks require more dexterity.

The core idea behind the Robonaut series is to have a humanoid machine work alongside astronauts. Its form factor and dexterity are designed such that Robonaut can use space tools and work in similar environments to suited astronauts. The latest Robonaut design is the R2, which is capable of moving its arms up to 2 m/s and has a 40 lb. payload capacity. Its hands have a grasping force of roughly 5 lbs. per finger. There are over 350 sensors in the robot.

Robonaut uses telepresence and various levels of robotic autonomy. While not all human range of motion and sensitivity has been duplicated, the robot's hand has 12 degrees of freedom as well as 2 degrees of freedom in wrist. The R2 model also uses touch sensors at the tips of its fingers.

“The 330-pound R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission. Once aboard the station, engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness. Throughout its first decade in orbit, the space station has served as a test bed for human and robotic teamwork for construction, maintenance and science.” says a blog post at NASA.

Robonaut's likeness to Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett has been noted by CNN's Richard Stenger, but NASA says the likeness is coincidental.>>

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/02/24/space-shuttle-launch-what-do-astronauts-eat/ wrote:

Freeze Dried Ice Cream

Space Shuttle Launch: What Do Astronauts Eat?
Posted by brooklynsupper on February 24th, 2011 at 12:54 pm

<<The big news with today’s space shuttle launch is that the astronauts will be taking a humanoid robot with them that will be capable of doing some of the more dangerous tasks that astronauts would have performed in the past. Wait? We can make humanoid robot astronauts now? It’s like my dreams as an 8 year old are coming true. Another thing that would have thrilled my 8 year-old soul would have been the knowledge that I could use a computer to get as much astronaut ice cream as I wanted without having to go to the Air and Space Museum gift shop. But, by now I just don’t care about robots or astronaut ice cream. I am kind of curious though- do astronauts still eat astronaut ice cream? What else do they eat?

In fact they don’t eat astronaut ice cream any more and hardly ever did. Astronaut ice cream is made by freeze drying ice cream, a process that involves freezing it, lowering the air pressure, and heating it so that the water in it sublimates out. It was first made for the Apollo 7 mission in 1968, but it was never a big hit, probably because it’s too sweet. So it doesn’t go up into space anymore. Instead, astronauts can also have actual regular ice cream in space, which they’ve done in both the space shuttle and the international space station.

So what do they eat then? Regular food that’s been freeze-dried and reconstituted with water. Dishes include Swedish meatballs, dehydrated shrimp, chicken soup, and beef stroganoff. Other foods, like cookies, crackers, apples, and M&Ms can be eaten more or less the same way they are on Earth. Institutional food is never that great to begin with, but food in space is especially bland. The lack of gravity gives astronauts stuffy noses and the odors don’t reach the nose as well anyway. Since smelling makes up such a big part of tasting, the astronauts aren’t able to taste as well, making hot sauce a popular condiment.>>