The Unexpected Roots of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System

Article

“The Unexpected Roots of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System” by Christopher Gainor
Published in Quest Volume: 31 #3 (2024)

Abstract

The Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS) became an important part of the Space Shuttle and was used to deploy, move, and retrieve satellites and various payloads in space, and played a key role in assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), repairs of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and other signature accomplishments of the Space Shuttle era. The RMS was built in Canada, where it is known as the Canadarm, and has led to the creation of the Canadarm2 and the Mobile Servicing System on the ISS and plans to build Canadarm3 for the Lunar Gateway space station in the vicinity of the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
This article examines the steps that led to the creation of the RMS in the 1970s and shows how early work on the HST and the Shuttle influenced Canadian industry to propose building the RMS when the Canadian government lacked a space policy.
During negotiations between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Canadian government and industry, the Canadian proposal for RMS came under attack from General Electric, which lobbied NASA and members of Congress to win the Shuttle remote manipulator business for itself. It is well known that Europe’s contribution to the Shuttle, Spacelab, involved difficulties, and this article shows that the road to the Canadarm also had its own bumps.
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Citation

Gainor, Christopher. “The Unexpected Roots of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 31, no. 3 (2024): 43-55.