Astronaut Waves Robot Arm

Japanese-built device will service equipment from Kibo laboratory
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 9, 2008 3:25 PM CDT
Astronaut Waves Robot Arm
This image provided by NASA documents the Japanese Experiment Module, also called Kibo. This view depicts Kibo's exterior, backdropped by solar array panels for the orbital outpost.   (AP Photo/NASA)

A Japanese astronaut on board the International Space Station successfully unfolded a massive robotic arm from the newly installed Kibo laboratory today, Reuters reports. The arm moved slightly on Saturday, but today’s extension of the 33-foot device was the first full test, Space.com reports. The Japanese-built robot had nothing to grab; the equipment the arm will tend to arrives next year. (More International Space Station stories.)

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