The Canadarm Explained

An acceptance ceremony for NASA was held at Spar in Toronto on 11 February 1981.

The first Canadarm was delivered to NASA in April 1981. Tony Zubrzycki originated the end effector concept, inspired by an elastic band.

The arm measures 15.2 metres long with 6 joints matching a human arm. Five arms were built for NASA.

It can move 586,000 pounds in space. Gravity remains unimpressed by the motors.

Its motors cannot lift it on Earth.

Larkin Kerwin gave the system its informal name at a 1981 ceremony. Wally Cherwinski originally coined the term.

After the Columbia disaster the arm always flew paired with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System for thermal inspections.

The final mission was STS-135 in July 2011. That last arm went to Houston for engineering study.