Penny4NASA

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" The people from NASA were skeptical. Should they entrust one of the most crucial aspects of the new shuttle program to a relatively untested engineering team from Canada? Their decision, in 1975, to do just that has meant that Canadians are responsible for one of the most significant advances in space engineering—the Canadarm.

Actually called the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System, one of the Canadarm's most impressive engineering achievements is its ability to capture a free-flying payload in a zero gravity environment. The slightest contact with an object in space, regardless of size, will send it spinning away. Astronauts had to be able to control a 50-foot arm over a wide range of commands and for a wide range of payload sizes. Operating the Canadarm may mean moving it very accurately and slowly over a distance of millimetres or it may mean moving it precisely over several metres at a very high speed. During more than 50 missions and after 7,000 orbits around the earth, the Canadarm has never malfunctioned. Indeed, it is used to help solve other problems on the shuttle, everything from knocking ice off the fuselage of the Orbiter to fixing the Hubble Space Telescope. And of course, it is instrumental in assembling the new international space station. The Canadarm is truly one of the greatest Canadian engineering achievements "

 
all i read was the title and i was like "shit, i hear canada has some pennies they're looking to get rid of."

 
hey now, the canadians were the first country after the USA/Soviet Union to launch a home designed satellite. Though it was launched from the US, aboard an American made rocket.

'course since then, the US, europe, the russians, and the chinese all probably launch more satellites in 6 months than the canadians have in their history, but it's all relative.

It also took until 1987 to get a canadian in space aboard an American space shuttle, but again, i like the cooperation there, its good use of resources/friendly partner neighbors. They don't need their own stuff.

The US is like that cool neighbor who helps you out when you're between cars or yours is broken down. Throw some cash his way here and there, and he'll make sure you get where you need without making a fuss.

 
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