NASA announced that the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews have begun a new day that will be highlighted by robotics operations. Canadarm 2, the International Space Station’s robot arm, will grab the pallet that secured Dextre during its journey to the orbital outpost and return it to space shuttle Endeavour’s payload bay.

The STS-123 astronauts have completed their third spacewalk and Dextre, the Canadian robotic system, has been completely outfitted with the tools for its work.

The International Space Station’s robot arm grabbed Dextre and moved it into an overnight parking position. The new robotic system will be activated on a power and data grapple fixture located on the U.S. laboratory Destiny on flight day nine.

Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Robert L. Behnken completed the third spacewalk of the STS-123 mission at 1:44 a.m. EDT. The excursion lasted six hours and 53 minutes.

With Mission Specialist Mike Foreman coordinating spacewalk activities from inside the orbiting complex, Linnehan and Behnken installed a spare parts platform and tool handling assembly for Dextre. Among other tasks, they also checked out and calibrated Dextre’s end effector and attached critical spare parts to an external stowage platform.

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 technology behind Dextre evolved from its famous predecessor Canadarm2. Dextre is the world’s first on-orbit servicing robot with an operational mission, and it lays the foundation for future satellite servicing and space exploration capabilities.

While one arm is used to anchor and stabilize the system, the other can perform fine manipulation tasks such as removing and replacing station components, opening and closing covers, and deploying or retracting mechanisms. To grab objects, Dextre has special grippers with built-in socket wrench, camera, and lights.

The two pan/tilt cameras below its rotating torso provide operators with additional views of the work area. Currently, astronauts execute many tasks that can only be performed during long, arduous, and potentially dangerous spacewalks. Delivery of this element increases crew safety and reduces the amount of time that astronauts must spend outside the station or routine maintenance. Some of the many tasks Dextre will perform include: installing and removing small payloads such as batteries, power switching units, and computers, providing power to payloads, manipulating, installing, and removing scientific payloads.

Designed for station maintenance and service, Dextre is capable of sensing forces and movement of objects it is manipulating. It can automatically compensate for those forces and movements to ensure an object is moved smoothly.

Unfortunately, Rick Linnehan and Robert L. Behnken were unable to attach a materials science experiment to the Columbus module, but may have another opportunity later in the mission.

Space shuttle Endeavour Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman operated the station’s robot arm during the spacewalk.

The astronauts have two more missions to complete. The fourth spacewalk will be used to replace a remote power control module and test a shuttle tile repair material. The repair material test was originally scheduled for Discovery’s mission last October, but was rescheduled so that problems with the station’s solar arrays could be addressed.

The goal is to complete this test before space shuttle Atlantis flies to the Hubble Space Telescope in August. Unlike missions to the space station, Atlantis’ crew members wouldn’t be able to wait on the station for another shuttle to bring them home if Atlantis was damaged.

Behnken and Foreman are slated to begin the mission’s fourth spacewalk at 6:28 p.m. Thursday.

On the fifth spacewalk, mission specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman will store on the station the boom that attaches to the shuttle’s robotic arm for heat shield inspections. The boom is being stored on orbit since the next shuttle will not have enough room to carry both the boom and the larger JAXA module in the cargo bay.

The US space agency has 10 more flights planned after Endeavour to complete the space station and deliver supplies before the orbiters are retired in 2010. Endeavour is due back on the ground on 26 March.