Datum 2014
Copycat Russian Android
prepares to do the
spacewalk
Crunch time as comet
ISON hurtles towards
the sun
T
like torso, is designed to service the outside of the
I
ISS by mimicking the arm and finger movements of a
ness of Venus – if it survives its solar encounter.
his robot is looking pretty pleased with itself – and wouldn't you be, if you were off
to the International Space Station? Prototype cosmobot SAR-401, with its human-
t is make or break time for Comet ISON as it nears
its closest approach to the sun, set to occur just
a few hours from now.The "comet of the century"
won't outshine the moon as previously thought,
but astronomers suspect it could match the bright-
human puppet-master indoors.
This animation from NASA's Solar and He-
In this picture, that's the super-focussed guy
liospheric Observatory, which orbits the sun, gives a
in the background but in space it would be a cosmo-
taste of what ISON has in store. The images run from
naut operating from the relative safety of the sta-
late Tuesday evening to earlier this morning and show
tion's interior and so avoiding a risky spacewalk. You
ISON coming in as the sun (upper left) releases a cor-
can watch the Russian android mirroring a human
onal mass ejection, a burst of charged particles.
here.
The comet, which is mostly made from ice
SAR-1 joins a growing zoo of robots in space.
and rock, will be heated to 2700°C and buffeted by
NASA already has its own Robonaut on board the ISS
the sun's immense gravity as it passes by, potentially
to carry out routine maintenance tasks. It was recent-
fracturing its nucleus. If that happens, ISON is unlikely
ly joined by a small, cute Japanese robot, Kirobo, but
to give astronomers the light show they crave.
neither of the station's droids are designed for outside use.
Until SAR-401 launches, the station's external Dex-
brighter than ever. All eyes will be on the comet as
But if its nucleus survives, ISON will be
tre and Canadarm2 rule the orbital roost. They were
it emerges from behind the sun over the rest of the
commemorated on Canadian banknotes this year –
week, when it will be best viewed around dawn.
and they don't even have faces.
If you are planning to look yourself, be extremely
careful and do not look directly at the sun.
SRISANDHIYA.N
B.Sc IT - IV
16