Robonaut 2 or R2 will be the first humanoid robot to venture into space this month flying aboard the Space shuttle Discovery. R2 will be accompanied by 6 astronauts on their way to the International Space Station on what will be Discovery’s last ever trip into space. R2 (currently legless) will be placed on a fixed pedestal on board the space station to complete lessons on a task board. The board has switches, knobs, and connectors like the ones astronauts operate, and the crew will mock up chores for R2 to master. Once the legs are added, the trainee will be able to move around inside the station, wiping handrails, vacuuming air filters, and doing other mundane tasks for the crew. In development by NASA and GM, R2’s potential is still unknown. "There are so many possibilities for the future," says Rob Ambrose of NASA's Johnson Space Center. "For instance, we could add wheels so R2 could scout a potential landing site on a planet or an asteroid or set up a workstation or habitat there. Someday R2 may even get a jetpack! But we have to crawl before we can fly."
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