VICTORIA, British Columbia -- The Canadian Space Agency has
given MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates seed money to examine the development
of a new-generation robotic arm that could ultimately be used for NASA's Orion
Crew Exploration Vehicle.
The as-yet unbuilt arm could be offered to the U.S. space
agency in exchange for flying a Canadian astronaut on an Orion
mission, according to officials with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates
(MDA) of Richmond, British Columbia.
MDA was selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) last month
to develop concept designs in support of an ongoing effort to plan Canada's
future participation in joint space exploration endeavors with NASA and other
international space agencies. MDA will study robotics for on-orbit servicing
and a Canadian-led
robotic lunar lander mission under a contract worth 1.8 million Canadian
dollars ($1.4 million).
Steve Oldham, MDA's vice president in charge of robotics,
said although the contract is small from a financial point of view, it has the
potential to lay the groundwork for lucrative future programs. "We're hoping
it's the thin edge of a significant wedge as Canada moves more towards the
next generation of its space exploration program," he told Space News
in a Feb. 19 interview.
The studies are intended to demonstrate what Canadian industry
could hope to achieve in the areas of next-generation robotics for both rover
missions and on-orbit servicing. While NASA is developing Orion first and
foremost to provide crew transportation for Moon missions and jaunts to the
international space station, the agency also has discussed other uses for
Orion, including the servicing of future space telescopes.
Most of the technologies that are being looked at for
development are ones that already have been discussed between the CSA and NASA,
Oldham said. "For example, on Orion we've had meetings with NASA where we've
sat down with them and said, 'What kind of robotic capability would [you] want
on Orion' and they've said we want A, B and C," Oldham explained. "So that's
what we're developing here. This is a part of a coordinated international
activity."
The research work into next-generation robot technology
builds on the strengths of Canadian industry, he added. Canada has been working
in the area of orbital robotics for 25 years, with MDA producing robotic arms
for the space shuttle and the international space station.
"One of the studies that we've got funding for is to
look at the types of technology, how you can accommodate it [and] what
requirements could be met on board Orion by a small Canadarm," Oldham
said.
The other technologies being examined relate to rover
mobility for the surface of the Moon or Mars. Oldham said the studies represent
potential contributions that Canada could use to barter for astronaut time on
international space exploration missions such as future Orion flights. The
studies will be produced over the next six to 12 months, he added.
The Canadian government announced last month that it would
provide 110 million Canadian dollars in new funding to the CSA for the
development of new-generation space robotic and rover technologies. Steve
MacLean, head of the Canadian Space Agency, said in a recent interview with Space
News that such work would build on the expertise developed under the Canadarm
and Dextre
programs, although at this point the aim is to create terrestrial
prototypes, not actual spaceflight hardware.
The proposed work also would include developing
subcomponents of space robotics vehicles. Julie Simard, spokeswoman for the
Canadian Space Agency in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, said there is no plan at this
point to provide a robotic arm to Orion in exchange for having a Canadian
astronaut on board the mission.
NASA spokeswoman Kylie Clem also said there are no current
plans to include a robotic arm on Orion. She noted, however, that NASA has
appreciated the contributions the Canadian Space Agency has made to shuttle and
the International Space Station programs. "We expect some sort of
cooperation in the future but not at this point on Orion," she said.
But Anthony Salloum, a space adviser for the Rideau
Institute think tank in Ottawa, said that it would make sense for the CSA to
eventually offer a new-generation robotic arm for Orion or other future U.S.
manned spacecraft in exchange for flight time for Canadian astronauts.
"Canada used its contribution of robotic arms for the
shuttle and the international space station in terms of a swap, if you will, of
Canadian technology for the placing of Canadian astronauts on those
missions," said Salloum. "I think MDA is sending a clear message that
if the Canadian government hasn't yet thought about such an arrangement to
secure a place on an Orion mission, it should consider it now."
Salloum noted that just last year the CSA launched a
recruitment program for a new generation of Canadian astronauts. It is still
determining who among those applicants will be future astronauts.
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