Japan launched to the ISS robotic assistant Kirobo
Japanese Space Agency at 4:48 am local time (Saturday, 23:48 MSK) made the start of the space rocket H-2B, on board of which is the fourth Japanese space vehicle HTV-4 (Konotori- 4), which must be delivered to the ISS a specific set of solid cargo mass of about 3.5 tons. The launch vehicle produced by Japanese Tanegashima space center in the southern part of the country. As described in the Japanese space agency Jaxa, one of the most interesting cargo space HTV-4 is a robot astronaut Kirobo - a small space robot that will be left on the ISS and will carry out simple problems, and communicate with the crew of the station.
Arriving HTV-4 on the ISS is expected on August 9, the exact time is not yet specified docking. "The launch of a space truck passed in accordance with the program, no problems were noted. Now HTV-4 into the proper orbit, undocked from the rocket," - said the press service of the Jaxa. Jaxa also say that the total weight of cargo delivered to the ISS cargo, including water, is about 5 tons. It is worth to say a few words about the robot assistant Kirobo (from Japan., Kibo - the hope and the robot). The main purpose of the robot - talking to people. "Russia was the first in space, the United States were the first on the moon, we want them to Japan was the first to launch into space will establish humanoid robots that can interact and help people," - said Yurichika Nishiima, project manager Kirobo.
fact, a new experiment is a project of the interaction between the advertising company Dentsu, Japan Research Center of Science and Technology, companies Robo Garage and Toyota Motor, as well as the University of Tokyo. The company Robo Garage say that in the end they create robots have become valuable assistants for astronauts. "pervasive nature of people think about space robots, they imagine that the robots have to perform some kind of extreme.
We see robots as part of the communication process for people working in orbit, as the socio-technical assistants "- says Tomotaka Takahashi, CEO Robo Garage. Presented robot is difficult to fit into the consciousness of the inhabitants, as it has only 34 inches long and weighs just 1 kg. It is designed for use on board station, but not on its outside. Automatic freighter "Konotori" has a diameter of 4.4 meters and a length of 10 meters. It has a maximum payload of 6,000 pounds. It is expected that by 2018, Japan will send into orbit for at least four similar trucks.
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