Friday 4 March 2011

Robonaut 2 Set to Launch in February

NASA's Robonaut 2 is primed and ready for launch aboard space shuttle Discovery in February. R2 is so ready, in fact, that it's going up ahead of its legs, which will follow on a later launch.

"The robot's legs aren't ready yet," says Rob Ambrose of NASA's Johnson Space Center. "We're still testing them. But there will be plenty for R2 to do while waiting for its lower extremities."

R2 will be the first humanoid robot to travel and work in space, so it'll be training for some big responsibilities.

"This robot will eventually become the space station crew's right-hand 'it.'" (Ambrose says R2 is neither male nor female.)

Thanks to the legs and a few other upgrades, "it" has a bright future. In fact the ultimate goal is for R2 to help the astronauts with EVAs. But first, like a student in school, the robot must progress stepwise as new features – like legs -- are added and it acquires new abilities.

"For its first training sessions, R2 will be placed on a fixed pedestal for lessons on a task board. The board has switches, knobs, and connectors like the ones astronauts operate, and the crew will mock up chores for R2 to master."

Once the legs are added, the trainee will be able to move around inside the station, wiping handrails, vacuuming air filters, and doing other mundane tasks for the crew.

"Much like those of us down here on Earth, space station astronauts spend their Saturday mornings cleaning. R2's legs will give the crew their Saturday mornings back! It's all about making efficient use of the astronauts' time. They don't need to waste time doing simple stuff R2 can do."

The legs have special toes that plug into the space station walls so R2 can learn to climb without using its hands. "The hands must be free to carry cleaning supplies and tools," explains Ambrose. "Remember, robots don't have pockets to put things in."

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Santa Monica High 'Catches Next Wave' to Nationals


In a very close competition, Santa Monica High School beat Arcadia High School for the title of Regional Ocean Sciences Bowl Champion. The event took place in a lecture hall at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, on Saturday, Feb. 5. Eighteen student teams from throughout Southern California, each with four students and one alternate, competed in the fast-paced, game-show format event.

After a final match between Santa Monica High and Arcadia High, with a score of 64-56, the Santa Monica team secured their spot as the champions of the 12th annual Los Angeles "Surf Bowl."

The annual event, based on ocean sciences, focused on four main disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, and the physical properties of the marine/coastal environment.

Santa Monica High School earned an all-expense paid trip to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl at Texas A&M University at Galveston, April 29 through May 1. About 2,000 students from more than 300 high schools nationwide will participate in this academic competition. The theme for this year's competition is "Human Responses to Ocean Events."

The competition was developed to foster the next generation of marine scientists, researchers and environmental advocates. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a program of the nonprofit Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, based in Washington, D.C. USC's Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., co-host the academic competition. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.