Astronauts move robot to new position at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronauts moved Dextre the robot to its new perch outside the international space station on Tuesday after devoting nearly a week to putting together and creating the monster-size machine.

Dextre -- a 12-foot hulk with 11-foot arms -- will remain at its new location on the U.S. lab, Destiny, for at least a few months.

Before they could move the robot on the end of the space station's mechanical arm, astronauts aboard the linked shuttle Endeavour and space station had to fold up its arms. It was a slow process that took an hour for each arm, with its seven joints.

When the robot finally clamped onto the lab, flight controllers had to take extra steps to resolve what they believed to be a computer software problem.

Dextre was launched into space in nine pieces aboard a transport bed, or pallet, that served as the robot-construction zone. Three spacewalks were needed to put the robot together. First, the hands were attached to the arms. Then the arms were connected to the torso. Finally, on Monday night, the eyes and tool belt were added.

The Canadian Space Agency supplied the $200 million-plus robot, conceived as an assistant to spacewalking astronauts. It may be months, possibly even a year, however, before the robot is put to the test. That's how long it will take to check out the robot and have an appropriate job present itself.

The pace will ramp back up Thursday evening, when two of the crew float outside to test a caulking gun and high-tech goo. NASA wants to see how well the astronauts can fix deliberately damaged shuttle tile samples.

It's one of the many safety measures developed after Columbia was destroyed during re-entry in 2003 because of a gashed wing.