Saint-Hubert, July 12, 2001 – Following the successful launch of Space
Shuttle Atlantis early this morning, Canadarm2 is ready to take on its
first operational task in building the International Space Station (ISS). As
mission STS-104 unfolds, Canadarm2 will play a critical role as it
installs the US-built Airlock on the Station. This will be the first assembly
task performed by the arm.

On key days when the Canadarm2 is operated (July 15 and 18), a Canadian
Space Agency representative will participate in the NASA Status
Briefing. These briefings are currently scheduled to air on NASA Select TV around 06:00 a.m. (EDT) on July 15 and 04:30 a.m. (EDT) on July 18.

The Canadian Space Agency will also host a media Status Briefing on
July 15 at 09:00 a.m. and on July 18 at 10:00 a.m. A recording of the NASA
Status Briefing held earlier will be played in the presence of a spokesperson,
who will be available for one-on-one interviews with the Press.

Last April, Canadarm2 was permanently installed on its new home, the
International Space Station. Since then, it has undergone extensive
testing in preparation for its first official duties on Mission STS-104.
Although the robotic arm’s primary system continued to function properly, an
intermittent anomaly was observed on its back-up system during testing.
Teams of engineers from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), NASA and MD
Robotics (Canadarm2’s prime contractor) worked closely together to
diagnose and then resolve the anomaly. Such difficulties are to be expected, as
Canadarm2 is the most complex robotic instrument to have ever flown in
space, the harshest environment known to mankind. The recent work
accomplished by the engineering teams from the CSA, NASA and MD
Robotics demonstrates their high level of robotics expertise and cooperative
efforts.

For further information on Mission STS-104 and Canadarm2, we invite you
to visit our website at:
http://www.space.gc.ca/csa_sectors/hum_pre/missions/sts-104/default.asp

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For more information, please contact:

Media Relations
Canadian Space Agency
Tel: 450-926-4370
Fax: 450-926-4352