'R2' humanoid robot Quick quiz: When the space shuttle Discovery makes its oft-delayed liftoff for the International Space Station (ISS), how many crew members will be aboard?
Six, you say? Make it 6-1/2.
'R2' humanoid robot Sporting a streamlined bronze helmet with an Iron Man-cool reflective visor, plus a white form-fitting uniform that would turn heads at the local gym, that extra half is R2. Think pencil-necked Power Ranger with no legs.
R2 is the waist-up portion of a humanoid robot – a prototype "robonaut" that could become just as at home on a factory assembly line as repairing power converters on the outside of the space station or holding a wrench while an astronaut fixes a cranky Colbert exercise machine.
Final shuttle launch for Discovery: Was shuttle program worth it?
Indeed, half of the replaceable components on the ISS can only be swapped out by humans in spacesuits, notes Ron Diftler, robonaut project manager at the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston. Preparations for spacewalks are time-consuming, and outside the air lock the work is downright dangerous.
Read More: 'R2' humanoid robot to blast off with space shuttle launch