[Yaaarc] Droids on the ISS (from NASA Science News)

[Keith Mc. (Route-To YAR)]

David McMillan <skyefire at skyefire.org> wrote:
> Keith Mc. wrote:
> > This in from NASA Science News, for 6/1/06...
> > A "Star Wars" style droid is now wandering the corridors of the
> > International Space Station, and more are on the way... <grin>
> > The FULL STORY is at:
> > http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/01jun_spheres.htm?list52034

> "That's no droid, that's a...  um....  okay, it's ON a space 
> station.  Satisfied?"

(Gee... That's what I was thinking, too... <grin>  But I basically
forwarded their "promo" text, which called it a droid. :-)
 
> It's no R2D2 or C3P0, looks more like a Jedi training "remote."  
> But that's probably the ideal planform for a freefall environment.  
> Now the next question is, how do hobbyists like us get access to 
> the ISS to test *our* similar designs?  :)

Why, that's simple!  Do it in an airplane simulating freefall, like 
they did!  Not a cheap nor long duration environment though, so 
platooning and cooperative action simulations would be iffy at best.

Now getting your hands on an airplane owner (and a cooperative
pilot) that'll risk it, and getting permission for the test from 
the FAA are a whole 'nother batch of problems "best left as an 
exercise for the student"... <grin>

If you don't want to invest in your own space station, I guess 
you'd better get your aircar antigrav, or gravitic shielding 
working first. <wink>

Now it WOULD be cool if NASA made one with a camera, and an
compressed air / battery recharging station (powered from the
solar arrays of course).  It could then be used for 
teleinspections from the ground without tying up extremely 
valuable onsite person-hours. 

If we're lucky, it could even be made available for teleoperation 
via the net so tourists could pay to "gawk around" unrestricted 
areas of the ISS whenever things weren't busy. <grin>  (How's THAT 
for some "revenue enhancement" from "space tourism"? :-)

- Keith Mc.