A massive robot and Japan's first room in space are set for delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) next week aboard NASA's space shuttle Endeavour.
Canada's two-armed robot, named Dextre for its nimble capabilities, should give astronauts a break from basic repair and maintenance tasks outside of the growing space station. The Japanese Logistics Pressurized (JLP) Module marks the first of three components for that nation's massive Kibo science lab.
"This flight will be a monumental flight for Japan," said Tetsuro Yokoyama, operations project deputy manager for Kibo, during a press briefing at Johnson Space Center this week. "We are very close to a long-awaited moment."
The seven-astronaut STS-123 space shuttle crew, led by commander Dominic Gorie, is slated to launch at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT) on March 11 aboard Endeavour. The crew aims to install Japan's new orbital room in a temporary position on March 14, then begin Dextre's assembly on March 15.
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