Astronauts on the International Space Station are still struggling to power up Dextre, the Canadian robot. Apparently power does reach the device, but its computer will not power up individual parts. Earlier, a software glitch was suspected, but it turned out that wasn't causing Dexter to be left out in the cold.

The $200 million high-tech machine needs power to be kept warm, as its joints, limbs and electronics could become damaged if they are exposed to very low temperatures for days.

"Power was reaching Dextre, but his computer wasn't acknowledging that it had received a command and start up," said to ComputerWorld Michel Wander, a systems engineer who worked on Dextre at the Canadian Space Agency.  "It's just not able to switch on the components."

The problem may be due to a design error in a data cable on a spacelab pallet. The cable will no longer be used once Dextre is put in position on the ISS, but if the problem persists after the astronauts manage to bypass the cable, then it will be time to start worrying.

The Canadian Space Agency’s newest contribution to the station, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator or Dextre, is the third and final component of the Mobile Servicing System developed by Canada for the ISS. With advanced stabilization and handling capabilities, Dextre can perform delicate human-scale tasks such as removing and replacing small exterior components. Operated by crew members inside the station or by flight controllers on the ground, it also is equipped with lights, video equipment, a stowage platform, and three robotic tools.

The worst case scenario means that Dextre would have to be disassembled and put back into the Space Station, which would prevent it from being permanently damaged.

Meanwhile, Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman returned to the ISS after a seven-hour spacewalk which attached an initial component of Japan's Kibo laboratory to the ISS. The installed section is the first pressurized section, Japanese Experiment Logistics Module (ELM-PS), of the future Kibo Japanese module.

Astronauts will perform a space walk on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, to install outside the ISS the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE), designed and constructed in the laboratory of Dennis Jacobs, a University of Notre Dame professor of chemistry and biochemistry, which will look at how various materials degrade in the low-earth orbit spacecraft environment.