The 133rd space shuttle flight launched on February 24, 2011. On this 35th shuttle mission to the International Space Station – which successfully touched down yesterday – Discovery delivered and installed the Permanent Multipurpose Module, the Express Logistics Carrier 4 and provided critical spare components to the International Space Station. And along for the ride, a certain human-like robot called Robonaut-2, or R2. Proof – if proof were needed – that the influence of Star Wars extends far beyond the confines of this little blue planet…
NASA will launch the first human-like robot to space this year to become a permanent resident of the International Space Station. Robonaut 2, or R2, was developed jointly by NASA and General Motors under a cooperative agreement to develop a robotic assistant that can work alongside humans, whether they are astronauts in space or workers at GM manufacturing plants on Earth.