WEBVTT

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[coin clinks]

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[motor whirring]

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[motor whirring]

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- OH, MAN,
I CAN NEVER WIN THESE THINGS.

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THE CLAW'S NOT STRONG
OR PRECISE ENOUGH

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TO GET ME THE PRIZES
THAT I WANT.

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BUT NASA HAS A ROBOTIC ARM

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THAT MAKES THE CRANE GAME
A CAKEWALK

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AND ON A MUCH BIGGER SCALE.

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FIND OUT MORE NEXT
ON "REAL WORLD."

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WITHOUT ROBOTICS,
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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OF BUILDING
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

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REPAIRING SATELLITES IN SPACE,

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AND EXPLORING OTHER WORLDS
WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.

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ROBOTIC ARMS AND HANDS
ARE USED

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ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE
AND THE SPACE STATION

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TO BUILD, REPAIR,
INVESTIGATE, AND MORE.

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THE SHUTTLE
REMOTE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM,

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ALSO KNOWN AS CANADARM,

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MANEUVERS PAYLOADS FROM
THE SHUTTLE BAY OF THE ORBITER

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SO THE LOADS CAN BE TRANSFERRED
TO THE ISS

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OR LAUNCHED INTO ORBIT.

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THE ARM ALSO CONTAINS
INSTRUMENTS

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TO HELP INSPECT THE EXTERIOR
OF THE SHUTTLE FOR DAMAGE.

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AND ASTRONAUTS CAN BE TETHERED,
OR ANCHORED, TO THE ARM

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DURING EXTRA-VEHICULAR
ACTIVITIES, OR SPACEWALKS.

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LET'S SIZE UP
THIS GIGANTIC ROBOTIC ARM.

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CANADARM WEIGHS A BIT MORE
THAN 410 KILOGRAMS

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AND IS 15 METERS LONG.

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WHEN THE ARM IS ON EARTH,

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THE MOTORS ARE UNABLE
TO LIFT THE ARM'S OWN WEIGHT.

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BUT IN SPACE,
THE ROBOTIC HANDS

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CAN LIFT
A MASSIVE 29,484 KILOGRAMS.

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THAT'S A WHOPPING
65,000 POUNDS.

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BUT IF YOU THINK
THAT'S SOME HEAVY LIFTING,

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CHECK OUT THE SRMS'S
BIG BROTHER, CANADARM2,

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THE REMOTE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM

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ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.

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THE EVEN MORE AWESOME CANADARM2

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CAN HOLD
UP TO 116,000 KILOGRAMS.

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THAT'S ALMOST FOUR TIMES AS MUCH
AS THE SHUTTLE ARM.

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AND CANADARM2
IS SLIGHTLY LONGER,

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ABOUT 17.6 METERS LONG.

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THE ISS
IS ABOUT 109 METERS LONG,

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SO A UNIQUE ENGINEERING DESIGN
ON CANADARM2

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ALLOWS ASTRONAUTS TO REACH

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JUST ABOUT EVERY POINT
ON THE SPACE STATION.

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BUT WAIT.
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

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IT'S MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM,

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WHICH ISN'T
VERY STRETCHY MATERIAL.

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I'LL LET OUR ON-ORBIT ASTRONAUT
BILL MCARTHUR EXPLAIN.

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- THIS IS WHAT OUR ARM
LOOKS LIKE.

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IT HAS TWO END EFFECTORS,

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AND EACH OF THEM
HAS THREE JOINTS.

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THEY'RE IDENTICAL.

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AND THEN IT HAS ONE JOINT
IN THE CENTER

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FOR A TOTAL OF SEVEN JOINTS.

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AND THAT ALLOWS US
TO DO SEVERAL THINGS

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THAT ARE VERY, VERY INTERESTING.

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ONE IS, IT MEANS
THAT EITHER ONE OF THE ENDS

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CAN BE THE BASE.

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BASICALLY, WE ANCHOR THE SSRMS
TO ONE LOCATION,

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AND THEN USING IT
JUST LIKE AN ARM,

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WE'RE ABLE TO EXTEND IT,
MOVE AROUND,

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GRASP OBJECTS,
LIFT THEM UP,

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REPOSITION THEM,

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AND INSTALL THEM
IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.

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NOW, BECAUSE BOTH OF THE
END EFFECTORS ARE IDENTICAL,

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THE BASE AND THE TIP,

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WE CAN ACTUALLY REVERSE THEM,

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AND THE TIP
CAN BECOME THE BASE,

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AND THE BASE
CAN BECOME THE TIP.

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AND WHAT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO

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IS TO MOVE THE ARM
TO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.

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AND SO WE COULD HAVE THE ARM
IN ONE LOCATION.

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WE COULD MOVE IT
TO ANOTHER LOCATION,

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MAKE THE BASE THE TIP,
THE TIP THE BASE,

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AND THEN WE COULD MOVE IT AGAIN.

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AND THAT WAY, WE'RE ABLE
TO ACTUALLY POSITION THE ARM

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AT DIFFERENT WORK SITES
AROUND THE SPACE STATION.

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- COMBINED WITH THE TRACKS
ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE STATION,

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STRATEGICALLY PLACED
GRAPPLE FIXTURES

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PUT MOST OF THE ISS WITHIN REACH
OF THE LONG ROBOTIC ARM.

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NOW, CANADARM2 MAY BE
A POWERFUL ROBOTIC INCHWORM,

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BUT IT'S NOT AUTONOMOUS.

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THAT MEANS IT STILL NEEDS
TO BE CONTROLLED BY HUMANS.

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AND THIS CONTROLLING IS DONE
AT ONE OF THE WORKSTATIONS.

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AS YOU CAN SEE, THE WORKSTATION
HAS SEVERAL MONITORS

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AND INPUT DEVICES--KEYBOARDS
AND JOYSTICKS--HOOKED UP,

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SO THEY CAN CONTROL
THE MOTION OF THE ARM

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WITH THE JOYSTICKS AND LAPTOPS

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AND KEEP AN EYE ON THEIR WORK
WITH THE NUMEROUS MONITORS

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MOUNTED
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ISS

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AND CANADARM2 ITSELF.

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IT'S KIND OF LIKE
A REALLY BIG GAMING RIG

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IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT

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OR A REALLY BIG CLAW MACHINE,

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MAYBE EVEN WITH A LITTLE HELPER
ON THE CLAW.

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- WELL, GOSH, YOU KNOW,
I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT,

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SORT OF IN GENERAL TERMS,
HOW WE OPERATE THIS ARM,

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HOW WE--THE IMAGES WE GET.

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WELL, WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY DO
WITH IT?

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WELL, IT IS A ROBOT.

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YOU KNOW,
ROBOTS ARE DESIGNED

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TO HELP PEOPLE
DO PRODUCTIVE WORK.

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EVERY ELEMENT OF
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

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EXCEPT THE RUSSIAN ELEMENTS

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WERE ASSEMBLED
USING ROBOTIC ARMS

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EITHER ON BOARD THE SHUTTLE

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OR ON BOARD THE SSRMS HERE
ON THE SPACE STATION ITSELF.

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WE CAN EVEN PUT
A SPECIAL FOOT RESTRAINT

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ON THE END OF THE ARM,

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AND AN ASTRONAUT
CAN SLIP HIS FEET

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INTO THE FOOT RESTRAINT,

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AND THEN WE MOVE
THAT ASTRONAUT

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TO WHEREVER THE WORK SITE
MIGHT BE.

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- LEARNING TO USE
THESE GIGANTIC ROBOTIC ARMS

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TAKES A LITTLE PRACTICE.

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ASTRONAUTS SPEND MANY MONTHS
LEARNING ABOUT

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AND PRACTICING TO WORK
WITH ROBOTS IN SPACE.

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INSTRUCTORS ON EARTH
USE HIGH-TECH SIMULATIONS

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AND VIRTUAL REALITY ENVIRONMENTS

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TO TEACH THE ASTRONAUTS
ALL THEY WILL NEED TO KNOW.

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DURING HER FIRST
SHUTTLE MISSION,

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STS-131 ASTRONAUT
DOTTIE METCALF-LINDENBURGER

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OPERATED THE SHUTTLE ARM

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TO INSPECT THE SPACE SHUTTLE
FOR DAMAGE.

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OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CREW USED
THE SPACE STATION'S CANADARM2

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TO MOVE THE EQUIPMENT
FROM THE SHUTTLE TO THE STATION.

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JUST THINK: THE SCIENCE AND MATH
YOU'RE LEARNING TODAY

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MAY HELP YOU DESIGN

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AN EXPLORATION ROBOT
OF THE FUTURE.

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YOU CAN LEARN MORE
ABOUT NASA ROBOTICS

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AND FIND OUT
ABOUT ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS

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FOR STUDENTS LIKE YOU AT:

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BE SURE TO CHECK OUT
HOW ROBONAUT 2

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WILL BE USED TO HELP OUT
ON THE ISS.

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RIGHT NOW,
I'VE GOT A ROBOT TO PROGRAM.

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CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "REAL WORLD."