Space station's Dextre grounded after power issue discovered

NASA and Canadian Space Agency officials this week temporarily halted plans to test a Canadian-made robot that was installed on the International Space Station earlier this year, citing concerns that it could become stranded on the station's Canadarm 2.

The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre, is the $200-million extension of the Canadian-made Mobile Servicing System, which allows astronauts to pick up and move huge parts and help perform repairs outside the orbiting platform.

Dextre was scheduled this week to go through a series of tests and perform a series of tasks, including ones where it would be attached to the station's robotic arm.

But according to a report on NASASpaceFlight.com, the U.S. space agency noticed a potential problem last Friday with the unit on Dextre that switches from one power source to another. On Tuesday the space agency postponed the tests until CSA engineers could assure NASA the robot would not break down while attached to the Canadarm 2.

NASA is being extra cautious about keeping the Canadarm 2 free because it will be needed for the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery in February.

Discovery is scheduled to launch on Feb. 12, 2009, and deliver the fourth and final set of solar arrays to the station. The Canadarm 2 will be needed to install the truss structure holding the array to the station.

NASA needs to complete the construction of the space station by 2010, when the space shuttles are to be retired.