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Historic First Moves

When the crew of Mission STS-2 deployed the Canadarm for the first time, the moment was marked with feverishness and incredible expectations. As astronauts Joseph Engle and Richard Truly began to extract the giant robotic arm from Columbia's cargo bay on November 13, 1981, no image was available at Mission Control. The shuttle was temporarily out of communication range. Finally, the picture was restored. A giant arm appeared on the screen, poised above the orbiter's cargo bay, and the Canada wordmark was clearly visible on its side.

"Okay, the arm is out for the first time ... working great ... it's a remarkable flying machine and it's doing exactly as we hoped and expected," said Pilot Richard Truly of Mission STS-2. With this statement, the Canadarm began its long service as the first robotic manipulator system designed specifically for use in the harsh environment of space.

The Canadarm is deployed for the first time in space during Mission STS-2 in 1981. (Photo: NASA)

The Canadarm forming an inverted V with the Canadian wordmark after deployment in 1981. (Photo: NASA)

And the crowd went wild ...

Dr. Garry Lindberg, first Program Manager for the Canadarm, was watching as a guest commentator on a special edition of CBC National News. "Its remarkable performance produced a rush of relief and joy. We had done everything possible to make it work, but we had never been able to test it in a space environment. Seeing the arm deployed without a hitch showed that the eight years of hard work has paid off with a spectacular success."

Euphoria and elation erupted from the Canada and NASA teams, recalls Dr. Karl Doetsch, then Deputy Program Manager of the Canadarm project. "The first image, the now famous inverted V with the Canadian wordmark, displayed for the world to see: Canadian technology at its best. It was happiness, relief, and excitement all at once."