Space Systems Laboratory's Ranger robot is proposed to NASA

The Space Systems Laboratory's Ranger robot is one of 26 solutions proposed to NASA to assist in upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (shown here), according to the Denver Post. A National Academies of Science committee will winnow the ideas to provide a shortlist of contenders for the $300 million mission by the end of the summer.

In performing the servicing, Ranger would simply disconnect a "hand," then reattach another hand best suited for the job. "You fly with a lot of hands. It's really like having a tool box," says ISR-affiliated Associate Professor Dave Akin (AE/ISR) in the article. Story at the Denver Post

Published March 3, 2004