Canadarm—a review of its flights

The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), or Canadarm, has been singularly successful in accomplishing both planned and unforeseen tasks in space. Following its first flight in November 1981, it has deployed payloads ranging in mass from 156 to 9765 kg. It has been flight tested for all its operating modes, its handling characteristics, and structural dynamics. It is now an operational subsystem of the Shuttle’s Orbiter. The SRMS was instrumental in the retrieval and repair of the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMM) in 1984, and featured prominently in the salvage of the Palapa and Westar Satellites later that year. It has been used as an extension of the human arm in unforeseen duties such as removing ice from the orbiter’s waste management system and attempting to throw a switch on the malfunctioning Syncom Satellite. Most recently it has been part of an ingenious man/machine team in the in‐orbit repair of the Syncom Satellite. A review of the highlights of the flight accomplishments of Canadarm is given.