International Space Station Alpha, Orbiting Around Earth —On April 23, Space Station Alpha got a permanent crane—the Canadian-built Canadarm2, or "Big Arm."
Built by MacDonald Dettwiler Space and Advanced Robotics (MD Robotics; Brampton, Ontario, Canada), the 57-ft, 9-inch crane replaces the Little Arm, a 50-ft, 3-inch crane carried back and forth aboard each Space Shuttle.
Until now, Space Station Alpha has had to rely on the Little Arm--shown here aboard the Space Shuttle--for spacewalking robotics.
The new arm has two hands and seven joints, with freedom of motion at its shoulder, elbow, and wrist, allowing it to "walk" completely around the outside of the Space Station like an inchworm. With a body made of high-strength aluminum, stainless steel, and graphite epoxy, it has no trouble supporting its own 3,618-lb mass in zero-gravity space, and is designed to lift as much as 255,000 lbs mass.
In coming years, the billion-dollar Big Arm will attach the station's solar wings and airlock. And a 2003 Shuttle flight will bring the arm's "fingers," allowing it to catch passing satellites.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is