Hadfield behind the controls of Canadarm2

Uploaded on March 1, 2013

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Hadfield behind the controls of Canadarm2

2013-03-03 - As the crew of Expedition 34 prepare for rendezvous with SpaceX's Dragon, Chris Hadfield takes us to the Robotic Workstation where they will command Canadarm2 to capture and dock the cargo vehicle. Filmed from inside the cupola, we are privileged with an inside look at how Canadarm2 is operated.

Capture of the Dragon occurred March 3, 2013 at 5:31 a.m. EST. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)

Chris Hadfield: A spaceship is coming, and we need to catch it with Canadarm2. Going to show you where we operate Canadarm from and what it looks like to be a robotic operator on the International Space Station.

If you want to operate a robot, it's nice to be able to see what you're doing. The space station has one special place for windows, called the cupola, and that's where we fly Canadarm2 from to grab the Dragon. Let me show you.

Here inside the cupola are all of the controls necessary in order to operate and see what you're doing with the Canadarm. Let me show you what we have. Here in the centre, we have the main computer interface that shows all of the displays necessary to operate it. Over here on the right, we have the rotational hand controller. Here on the left, we have the translational hand controller to move things up and down. And then across, we have three screens that show various camera views around the outside of the space station so you can see what you're doing. And the last thing is the manual control pedal that has a way to control cameras, way to set up the arm into different modes, make sure you have everything set through a nice, simple interface so that you can operate Canadarm with confidence and assurance to let it do its job.

To operate Canadarm, you need to have your body stable. And so there's a place you can stick your feet. Not too complicated. Tuck my toes in here, and now my hands are stable, my body's stable, and I'm all set to operate Canadarm2.

We are extremely lucky not only to be able to live and work in this place, but also to be the people who operate Canadarm2. Canada built the Canadarm2, and Canadarm2 built this space station. Everybody should be proud of that.

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