The international space station's mechanical maintenance robot went through its first checkup on Sunday, one day after its arms were attached, media reports said.
The Canadian-built robot, named Dextre, passed all but one of the tests. One of the wrist joint brakes in Dextre's left arm slipped a tiny bit more than engineers wanted, but Canada's acting space station program manager said he wasn't too concerned.
In an earlier spacewalk, two U.S. astronauts had attached mechanical arms to the Canadian-made robot, enabling it to take over some human tasks and reducing the need for future risky trips outside the station.
"Dextre looks quite a bit different today," observed NASA flight director Dana Weigel. "It's almost fully assembled: It has two hands, two arms and the main body is pivoted up."
Two astronauts plan to take a spacewalk Monday night to add a tool holster and other accouterments for Dextre. When the 200-million-dollar robot is fully assembled, it will stand 3.66 meters (12 feet) and have a mass of 1,542 koligrams (3,400 pounds).
Source:Xinhua/Agencies
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