KSC-99pp0569

Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility raise a segment of the Canadian Space Agency's Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to move it to a workstand. CSA's first contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), the SSRMS is the primary means of transferring payloads between the orbiter payload bay and the ISS for assembly. The 56-foot-long robotic arm includes two 12-foot booms joined by a hinge. Seven joints on the arm allow highly flexible and precise movement. Latching End Effectors are mounted on each end of the arm for grappling. Video cameras mounted on the booms and end effectors will give astronauts maximum visibility for operations and maintenance tasks on the ISS. The SSRMS is at KSC to begin a campaign of prelaunch processing activities. It is scheduled to be launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100, currently planned for July 2000