Japan’s robotic arm used for first time on space station

September 18th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's first unmanned cargo spacecraft docked Friday to the International Space Station to deliver 4.5 tonnes of goods to its crew. The H-II Transfer Vehicle manoeuvred within 10 metres of the station before astronauts on board used the station's robotic arm to reel the H-II the rest of the way in, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

September 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery began a third and final spacewalk Saturday outside the International Space Station (ISS). US astronaut John "Danny" Olivas and Swede Christer Fuglesang began the scheduled six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk at 4.39 p.m.

September 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery completed a more than six-hour-long spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) Friday, installing a new ammonia tank used in the cooling system, NASA said. US astronaut John "Danny" Olivas and Swede Christer Fuglesang ended their mission successfully at 0451 GMT.

September 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery were working outside the International Space Station Thursday to install a new ammonia tank that is crucial for keeping the orbiting laboratory cool. US astronaut John "Danny" Olivas and Swede Christer Fuglesang left the ISS at 2212 GMT on a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station Monday transferred a container holding 816 kilograms of cargo to the station. In the first day of joint operations at the station, the crews used a robotic arm to take the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module out of the shuttle's payload bay and install it outside the station for easy access during spacewalks.

August 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 16-day journey of more than 6.5 million miles on July 31, landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the flight, Endeavour delivered the final piece of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station (ISS).

July 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The space shuttle Endeavour landed at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida Friday carrying a seven-member crew of US, Canadian and Japanese astronauts. The landing at 1448 GMT marked the end of the 17-day mission that saw the completion of the Japanese laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

July 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour bid farewell to their colleagues on the International Space Station Tuesday to head back to Earth. The space shuttle undocked at 1726 GMT, carrying its seven-member crew after 10 days, 23 hours and 39 minutes at the ISS.

July 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US astronauts Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy installed video cameras Monday on the International Space Station's new Japanese porch. The work was the main task of a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk that began about an hour ahead of schedule at 11:33 GMT.

July 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The crews of the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station have successfully installed a four-ton "porch" to the station's Japanese laboratory. US astronauts Dave Wolf and Timothy Kopra completed a five-hour and 32-minute spacewalk Saturday to prepare the way for astronauts using a robotic arm inside the station to attach the outdoor shelf to the Kibo module.

July 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew have set off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 15, to deliver the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station (ISS). Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside the Japanese module.

March 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two Discovery space shuttle astronauts completed maintenance work Monday on the International Space Station during the final spacewalk of the ongoing mission in orbit. During the six-and-a-half hour spacewalk, astronauts Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold repositioned an equipment cart, deployed an external cargo mounting mechanism, lubricated the space station's robotic arm and reconfigured cables that power the station's gyroscopes.

March 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The astronauts aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery have been instructed to move out of the way of a four-inch piece of space junk, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Sunday. According to the space agency, Discovery's pilots fired their ship's thrusters to avoid the junk, which is likely to uncomfortably approach the station Monday.

March 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Astronauts were steering a new solar panel into place using robotic arms Wednesday ahead of a spacewalk to install the segment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The panel is part of a truss segment that will complete the backbone of the station and boost its energy capacity, allowing the crew size to double to six astronauts.

March 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday for a construction mission that will allow the station to double its crew. The Discovery will deliver the fourth and final solar panel that will enable ISS to double the size of its crew to six astronauts.