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From: Faron Zaytsoff from Edmonton, Alberta
To:
Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield
Question:
When the Canadarm2 is operational, what will happen to the Canada
arm of the space shuttles? I would also like to ask what it feels
like to walk above Earth? Congratulations go out to the Canadian
Space Agency and Chris Hadfield.
Hadfield:
Both of the arms are going to fly for a long time to come. The
shuttle arm, Canadarm1 on the shuttle, is needed for all of the
shuttle flights, pretty well, to manipulate the space walkers
around so they can do their work and to lift some things out of
the bay and even hand them off to the 'big arm', or the Canadarm2
on the station. Canadarm2 will stay permanently on the station,
of course, to maneuver all of the payloads around the whole length
of the station and minimize the amount of time that we have to
do space walks on the station. So, it's going to be a two-armed
operation from now on.
And to answer
the question what it feels like to walk above the Earth — it's
an amazing experience to float weightless around the world over
and over again. To have the sensation of holding on to the side
of the space station with one hand and put your face into the
wind as it were, and watch the world roll by under your feet is
just spectacular. To be doing it while you're working outside
to build something that is vital to the future of this whole project,
to give it that type of intrinsic purpose, makes it just an overwhelming
experience. It's spectacular and I was really honored to have
a chance to do it.
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