Mitakshi D.
Canadarm 1
Mitakshi D.
Saskatoon Regional Heritage Fair
Saskatoon, SK
Hi, my name is Mitakshi, and my project is about the Canadarm1. The Canadarm1 is a robotic arm that was used on NASA’s space shuttles. It is basically like our arm as there is the Shoulder, upper-arm, lower-arm, wrist and end effector. The main body is 15.2 m long and 38cm wide. It weighs 410kg by itself and 450kg with the whole entire system. The main body is made of metal, and it is covered in multiple layers of insulation. It took over 5 years to build and cost about $108-110 million. The arm itself was made by a company called SPAR(Single Point Anchor Reservoir) Aerospace. It was launched for the first time on November 12 1981, and took its last and final flight on the Space Shuttle Atlantis or STS-135. They made the Canadarm1 to serve NASA for their space shuttle mission, as NASA wanted something that could move/ capture/ and deploy mainly satellites and astronauts in space. Some fun facts about the Canadarm1 are –
- It is now retired and on display at the Canada Aviation Space Museum in Ottawa.
- In orbit, it can lift up to 266,000kg in orbit and only 30,000 kg in space.
- The Canadarm2, which now carries the legacy, is on the back of the Canadian $5 bill.
- It made Canada very famous in Aerospace technology.
I picked this topic due to my vast interest in space, and I want to be a NASA astronaut when I grow up, and this just makes me feel closer to my goal.
What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?
Google, Canadian Space Agency, Canadian Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, and I also talked a lot about it with my mom.
What is the historical significance of your topic?
It is very significant to Canada as it made it very famous in aerospace technology and a massive success in the field of aerospace robotics/tech.
Why did you choose this topic?
I picked this topic because of my vast love for space, as I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.
