Space robots at the heart of Canadian astronaut missions



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Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques is scheduled to begin his mission at the International Space Station (ISS) on December 19, 2018.

Canadarm2 in action on the International Space Station
Canadarm2 in action on the International Space Station. NASA Photo

With his teammates, he participated in a press conference on September 6, 2018 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Astronauts will conduct scientific experiments and help maintain the station during their mission.

They will also use the Canadarm2 to catch and release freighters and to move astronauts around the station if they go out into space.

Canadian space robots play a vital role in the ISS, keeping it operational by replacing components such as cameras, computers, batteries and switches.

Canadarm2 and Dextre are now capturing and unloading more and more freighters providing supplies to astronauts as space becomes more accessible. They repair themselves even in space.

Canada is now exploring ways to equip future space robots with artificial intelligence. Giving robots some autonomy will be essential for new missions in deep space.

"I have been training hard for this mission for a number of years and, in a way, I have been preparing myself for the rest of my life," said Saint-Jacques.

"I only have a few months left, and I'll be up there, in the footsteps of the great Canadians who flew past me. Living such an extraordinary adventure is a rare privilege and promises to be a powerful and humiliating experience. I will be ready and I can not wait!
"I look forward to seeing the day when all of David Saint-Jacques' training, hard work and sacrifices materialize with his first trip to the International Space Station," said Navdeep Bains, Canada's Minister of Innovation. , Science and Economics. Development.

"Like all of our astronauts who go into space, I know he will showcase Canada's space innovation and make us all very proud."

Quick facts

  • David Saint-Jacques' long-term mission will be launched in December 2018 and will return to Earth in June 2019, making it the longest Canadian mission of all time.
  • He will leave for the International Space Station (ISS) alongside his teammates from Expedition 58/59: Anne C. McClain and Oleg Kononenko;
    Saint-Jacques is an engineer, an astrophysicist and a doctor. He will conduct Canadian science experiments during his mission.
  • In exchange for our robotic contribution, Canadian astronauts were able to complete space missions. Eight Canadian astronauts have flown in space until now; the last was Chris Hadfield, who became station commander;
  • Canadarm2 and Dextre have inspired technologies that improve health care on Earth: NeuroArm, the first robot capable of performing surgical procedures in a magnetic resonance device; IGAR, an advanced platform for the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer; and Modus V, a robotic digital microscope that could help neurosurgeons achieve minimally invasive clinical procedures with increased safety and efficiency.

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