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[ tech sounds ]

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Hi, my name is Alex Janas.  I'm a robotic operator here at the

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Servicing Technology Center. [ music ] So the test I want

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to talk to you guys about today is called RROxiTT, and this is a

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remote fluid transfer test, which is going to be performed by taking this robot and sending it

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down to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And myself, I'm going to be the operator

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right here at NASA Goddard. Some of the challenging aspects of this task

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include this valve. This is a standard satellite valve that they use for filling a satellite with fuel

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on the ground, and then it's sealed up and never meant to be opened again in space.

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My job is going to be to fly up, align to, and access this servicing valve.

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So if you can imagine, this would be a servicing arm in space;

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this tool would be our tool; and this would access a satellite that's already in space.

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Another hard aspect about this test is that I'm going to be commanding this robot from

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here at NASA Goddard. So now I'm commanding it and I'm telling the robot to go forward,

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up, down, left, right, and align it; there's going to be a time delay from when I send the robot a

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command and when the robot actually receives the command itself. So the fluid that we're

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going to be using during this test is called NTO, and it's one of two fluids that are combined

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in a spacecraft in order to create an explosion to propel a spacecraft forward in space.

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Now this is very corrosive, dangerous fluid, so when we're performing the test down in Florida,

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any humans within several hundred feet of the work site actually have to be wearing

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huge, big safety protective gear. This test is all part of a greater effort

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to continue maturing and advancing the technology needed to repair and refuel

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satellites in space so that they'll last longer. So tune in

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in early 2014 to watch me drive this robot and perform the actual refueling test.