NASA Robot Runs Into Snag After It’s Unpacked On Space Station

We’re all a little scared (in the impressed-with-technology sense!) of Robonaut, that robot on the International Space Station that is expected to start using legs to move around in the next few months. Eventually, it could even do repairs on the outside — saving astronauts time and keeping them safer.

This fun timelapse video shows Expedition 42 astronaut Terry Virts taking the robot out from what looks like a suitcase on the wall. After he set up Robonaut, however, the machine ran into a few problems.

“The ground teams deployed software and received telemetry from Robonaut. However, [they] were unable to obtain the commanded leg movement that was planned for the day. Ground teams are assessing a forward plan,” NASA wrote in the last ISS update concerning the robot, in mid-December.

While the astronauts patiently wait, they have been posting a few fun tweets about the robot in recent days. Check out what they’ve been saying below.

Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.

Recent Posts

Are Fast Radio Bursts Caused by Interstellar Objects Crashing Into Neutron Stars?

Astronomers have only been aware of fast radio bursts for about two decades. These are…

3 hours ago

Here’s How to Weigh Gigantic Filaments of Dark Matter

How do you weigh one of the largest objects in the entire universe? Very carefully,…

5 hours ago

How Could Astronauts Call for Help from the Moon?

Exploring the Moon poses significant risks, with its extreme environment and hazardous terrain presenting numerous…

17 hours ago

There Was a 15 Minute Warning Before Tonga Volcano Exploded

Volcanoes are not restricted to the land, there are many undersea versions. One such undersea…

18 hours ago

Main Sequence and White Dwarf Binaries are Hiding in Plain Sight

Some binary stars are unusual. They contain a main sequence star like our Sun, while…

19 hours ago

What a Misplaced Meteorite Told Us About Mars

11 million years ago, Mars was a frigid, dry, dead world, just like it is…

21 hours ago