On Thursday President Obama called the crews of the Space Shuttle Discovery and International Space Station (ISS) to congratulate them on their achievements and courage as they work and live in orbit around the Earth. This Space Shuttle mission, which is the last for the venerable Discovery orbiter before it is retired, includes tasks such as delivering the first human-like robot to space and transporting the last major structural element for the U.S. segment of the ISS. Picking up on these themes, the President asked about the work planned for the robot, known as Robonaut-2, or “R2.” After learning that R2 had not yet been unpacked after the long journey to space, he urged the crews to “let him stretch his legs pretty soon.” The product of a joint development effort between NASA and General Motors, R2 will stay aboard the ISS to demonstrate how dexterous robots of this nature can potentially work side by side with human crews in making repairs or conducting scientific tasks in space.
President Obama also commented on the unusual level of traffic at the ISS right now. For the first time, a spacecraft from every international partner that flies to the ISS is docked simultaneously at this orbiting facility, including vehicles from the United States, Russia, Europe, and Japan. The composition of the ISS crew reflects this level of partnership, as astronauts and cosmonauts from the United States, Russia, and Europe are currently living and working in the laboratory.
The President noted that this unprecedented partnership in space is something that each of our nations can be proud of, and he pointed to the Station as a metaphor for how the peoples of the world can learn to live and work together productively, not just in space but on the Earth too. The crew members enthusiastically agreed, remarking that the ISS may be one of the most complex and challenging construction efforts ever undertaken by humankind, with pieces constructed in different nations around the world and then launched above the Earth – and yet “everything fit,” they said, when it was assembled in orbit.
Fonte: White House