Testing Space Hardware

Wow! A lot of things have happened since the start of the year. 2000 has been busy and exciting for me :-)

In February, I spent one week in Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center, helping out with some testing on the big robotic arm that Canada has built for the International Space Station. It was actually my job to go inside the US Laboratory module (yes, the real thing) and push buttons and flip switches to see if the robotic arm, and all of its equipment, would do what we thought it should do.

Then, in March, I traveled to Japan for two weeks to help with testing on the big robotic arm that the Japanese are building for the space station. It was really awesome to work with the Japanese. They are very excited about being a part of the International Space Station, and have been very busy to make sure they are ready to go on time.

Now, I'm back in Houston, teaching robotics classes. I am also trying to learn as much about all the robotic arms, that are going to be on the space station, as possible. I read a lot, and ask a lot of questions. Fortunately, everyone is really nice and no one minds all my questions!