Engineers, Everyday Heroes

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest and most ambitious space program since the Apollo moon landings and the largest scientific joint effort among nations in history. The International Space Station partners a global team led by NASA. Countries participating in the program include the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil and a consortium of European communities under the flag of the European Space Agency. Each of the international partners is providing key elements to the program. The first components of the station were placed in orbit in late 1998.

The space station will provide unique laboratories to conduct research in fields such as astronomy, life sciences and materials, as well as locations to assemble satellites and space platforms too large and fragile to launch directly from Earth. The advanced technologies being used to construct the station will find applications in many industries on earth.

Canada's contribution to the ISS is the Mobile Servicing System (MSS), a sophisticated robotic system critical to the assembly, maintenance and servicing of the station itself. Under government contract to the Canadian Space Agency, the newly formed MD Robotics, is leading a Canada-wide industrial team in the building of the MSS.

The MSS comprises the following elements:

Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) a 17-metre long arm capable of handling large payloads and assisting with the docking of the shuttle.

Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) a two-armed robot capable of handling many of the servicing and assembly tasks currently performed by astronauts on space walks.

The Mobile Base (MBS) a work platform and storage area for SSRMS, SPDM, various tools and payloads.

The Mobile Transporter (MT) supports MSS operations and serves as the platform that is driven along rails on the truss, providing mobility to relocate the MSS to space station worksites. The MT is being provided by a former subsidiary of Spar Aerospace Limited, Astro Aerospace, under contract to Boeing.

Astronauts inside the space station operate the SSRMS and SPDM robotics from the Robotic Workstation (the RWS is an element related to the MSS and is being supplied under separate contract to NASA).