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The original Canadarm robotic arm flown on board NASA's space shuttle is revealed on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. (Canada Aviation and Space Museum)

May 2, 2013 — The original Canadarm, the Canadian-built robotic arm that for 30 years was used to reach out from NASA's space shuttles to deploy and capture satellites, support spacewalking astronauts and help assemble the International Space Station, now has a new mission in its retirement: public outreach.

Canadian Space Agency officials unveiled the Canadarm's new permanent display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday (May 2). Joining the event via a video broadcast from orbit, Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, participated by "sending the command" to reveal the arm's new exhibit.

"Let me send Canadarm its last command from space," said Hadfield as he simulated entering a command from a laptop aboard the space station. The video was timed with the curtain covering the Canadarm's display being pulled away.


Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield (right, on video screen) sends the command to unveil the Canadarm. (CSA)

The 50-foot-long (15-meter) Canadarm, which the Canada Aviation and Space Museum has displayed in a V-shaped floor-mounted case, was designed to operate much like a human arm. It has six rotating joints: two at the shoulder, one at the elbow and three at the wrist. In space, it could lift cargo weighing as much as fully-loaded bus while using less electricity than is needed to heat a tea kettle.

Hadfield said the Canadarm provided him the opportunity to become an astronaut.

"I am very grateful to the Canadarm itself — in a sense, it is because of Canadarm that I can even be in space," he said. "More than 30 years ago, when Canada contributed this magnificent, state-of-the-art technology to NASA, it opened the door for Canadian astronauts to exist."

"And about 17 years ago, I was the first lucky Canadian to operate the now legendary Canadarm," Hadfield said.

Five Canadarms — or as they were referred to by NASA, shuttle remote manipulator systems (SRMS) — were built and delivered to the U.S. space agency between 1981 and 1993. The arm now on exhibit was the first to fly in space, launching on the second mission of the shuttle program in November 1981.


Canadarm 201 is seen extended for the first time in space during the STS-2 mission aboard space shuttle Columbia, 1981. (NASA)

In the three decades since, the SMRS on display, known by its serial number 201, flew 22 more missions mounted inside the cargo bays of all five NASA orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. The arm's last flight in 2011 was on the final mission of Endeavour, when it had a hand, literally, in completing the assembly of the International Space Station.

Among the Canadarm 201's other mission highlights were the retrieval of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) from orbit, the installation of the Canadian-built, two-arm robotic manipulator Dextre on the space station, and the addition of the Tranquility node and multi-windowed Cupola for the orbiting complex.

In total, Canadarm 201 logged over 215 days in space.

"Thousands of Canadians will soon walk through these doors [of the museum] and have the opportunity to learn and appreciate one of Canada's greatest achievements in the space industry," James Moore, minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, said at the unveiling. "A marvel of technological innovation, created and developed by Canadians, the Canadarm is, simply put, a Canadian icon."

The original arm is now one of two on public display, the other exhibited alongside the retired shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia.


Looking down the barrel of the Canadarm's end effector that was used to grapple satellites and space station modules. (CASM)

The last of the Candarms to fly in space, the SRMS flown aboard the final space shuttle mission, STS-135 in July 2011, was shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for engineering study and possible reuse on a future mission. One Canadarm was lost in flight with the destruction of space shuttle Challenger in January 1986. Parts from the fifth arm were used to construct a boom to inspect the orbiters' heat shield for any damage sustained in flight.

Before going on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Canadarm 201 underwent a careful evaluation at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates' (MDA) facilities in Brampton, Ontario. The Canadarm was designed, built and tested by Spar Aerospace, which was acquired by MDA.

In addition to now displaying the Canadarm, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum hosts the Canadian Space Agency's "Living in Space" exhibit with artifacts loaned by all of Canada's astronauts.


Canadarm 201 Flight History

The missions and space shuttles that the original Canadarm flew on:

• STS-2 / Columbia (1981)
• STS-3 / Columbia (1982)
• STS-4 / Columbia (1982)
• STS-7 / Challenger (1983)
• STS-8 / Challenger (1983)
• STS-41B / Challenger (1984)
• STS-27 / Atlantis (1988)
• STS-32 / Columbia (1990)
• STS-46 / Atlantis (1992)
• STS-56 / Discovery (1993)
• STS-51 / Discovery (1993)
• STS-60 / Discovery (1994)
• STS-64 / Discovery (1994)
• STS-63 / Discovery (1995)
• STS-91 / Discovery (1998)
• STS-95 / Discovery (1998)
• STS-113 / Endeavour (2002)
• STS-118 / Endeavour (2007)
• STS-123 / Endeavour (2008)
• STS-126 / Endeavour (2008)
• STS-127 / Endeavour (2009)
• STS-130 / Endeavour (2010)
• STS-134 / Endeavour (2011)

[SIM Curly]

Have you been involved with any of the space shuttles or is just something you like?

[Overflow]

Depends what you mean by "involved".

[SIM Curly]

Originally Posted by Overflow

Depends what you mean by "involved".

Anything I suppose. Just curious on what made you like space shuttles

[Overflow]

Originally Posted by SIM Curly

Anything I suppose. Just curious on what made you like space shuttles

Well I did see many of the launches including STS-135. Anyone who's ever seen a launch in person can back me up here: Seeing a Space Shuttle launch is very moving. It would leave you speechless during the entire launch and even after that. It's like an addiction. Once you see one, you can't stop.

I was at Kennedy Space Center after the loss of STS-107, and I'll never forget the feeling that everyone felt stepping on the space port's property after their first space-worthy Space Shuttle was destroyed. I remember looking over at launch pad 39A, seeing how eerie it looked. The last Space Shuttle to launch from that pad was Columbia, and now her and her crew were gone. NASA even still left the Space Shuttle Columbia pad configuration for an extended period after she was gone. The pad looked perfect. It looked like it was protecting yet another Space Shuttle while on the pad. Except there was one thing missing.. the Space Shuttle.

It's truly funny how a piece of land can convey so many emotions. The last time I was at KSC was for STS-135. And along with the usual feelings of excitement, there was also a cloud of uncertainty. There is no doubt that we were (and still are) worried about the future of NASA.

Growing up in Florida, you learn to live with and love the shuttles. They were a huge part of the Florida economy. We really did suffer when they were retired, and we're still recovering. But living in Florida after a certain amount of time, you get use to what the Space Shuttle does. When you're in your living room watching TV and hear twin sonic booms, most people would think a bomb or gun was going off, but we always knew it was just the Space Shuttle.

To say the least, I can't wait to go back to the Kennedy Space Center in July. It'll be good to reunite with the past and see a good old friend..

[2010 SSRS]

Jordys going to the Moon

[Overflow]

Maybe one day.

[SIM Curly]

Nice! Hope you have a fun trip. Maybe one day ill be able to see a launch sometime.

[AZCamaroFan]

Originally Posted by SIM Curly

Have you been involved with any of the space shuttles or is just something you like?

jordan, aka Overflow , aka Shuttlegirl is the country's leading Space Shuttle expert

[2010 SSRS]

Originally Posted by Overflow

Maybe one day.

I'll give you a ride there in my spaceship

[FenwickHockey65]

I love getting her going about something shuttle related. She can talk for hours about it.

[Overflow]

Originally Posted by SIM Curly

Nice! Hope you have a fun trip. Maybe one day ill be able to see a launch sometime.

I hope you do!

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

jordan, aka Overflow , aka Shuttlegirl is the country's leading Space Shuttle expert

Originally Posted by 2010 SSRS

I'll give you a ride there in my spaceship

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I love getting her going about something shuttle related. She can talk for hours about it.

Go out in the dog house where you belong.

[FenwickHockey65]

Go get your Internet fixed. :P

[Overflow]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Go get your Internet fixed. :P

Says Fen to Jordan over the Internet.