Strela (russian: Стрела, , crane arm) is a class of four

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n built cargo cranes used during EVAs to move cosmonauts and components around the exterior of the Soviet/Russian

space station A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station ...

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

'' and the

Russian Orbital Segment The Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed in Russia and operated by the Russian Roscosmos. The ROS handles Guidance, Navigation, and Control for the entire Station ...

of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

Overview

''Mir'' featured two cranes mounted to its core module (delivered by

Progress spacecraft The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked t ...

), and the ISS also possesses two cranes, mounted to ''Poisk'' and

Zarya Zarya may refer to: *Zorya, personification of dawn in Slavic mythology * Zarya (antenna), a type of medium-wave broadcasting antenna used in former Soviet Union *Zarya (ISS module) is a module of the International Space Station. * ''Zarya'' (magazi ...

. The cranes are unpowered telescopic poles assembled in sections, which measure around 6 feet (182 cm) when collapsed but, when extended using a hand crank, measure 46 feet (14 m) long. This means that the cranes on ''Mir'' could easily reach all of the main modules of the complex, and those attached to the ISS can be used to transfer objects the full length of the

(ROS), from Zvezda to

. The largest robotic arm on the ISS,

Canadarm2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, su ...

weighs 1,800 kilograms and is used to hold crew members during EVAs, move station modules, spacecraft,

orbital replacement unit Orbital replacement units (or on-orbit replaceable unit) (ORUs) are key elements of the International Space Station that can be readily replaced when the unit either passes its design life or fails. ORUs are parts of the main systems and subsystems ...

s and

Dextre Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), is a two armed robot, or telemanipulator, which is part of the Mobile Servicing System on the International Space Station (ISS), and does repairs that would otherwise r ...

on the

US Orbital Segment The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadi ...

. The ROS does not require spacecraft or modules to be manipulated, as all spacecraft and modules dock automatically, and may be repositioned or discarded the same way. Each strela crane weighs 45 kg and can perform all necessary tasks, with substantial weight savings, less complexity and less maintenance than the Canadarm2 and the European Robotic Arm. Two Strela cranes were originally carried to the ISS on Integrated Cargo Carriers, the first on

STS-96 STS-96 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle '' Discovery'', and the first shuttle flight to dock at the International Space Station. The shuttle carried the Spacehab module in the payload, ...

, the second on STS-101, and one was subsequently transferred from ''Pirs'' by

Expedition 65 Expedition 65 was the 65th long duration expedition to the International Space Station. The mission began on 17 April 2021, with the departure of Soyuz MS-17, and was initially commanded by NASA astronaut Shannon Walker serving as the third fe ...

before ''Pirs'' was decommissioned. An EVA in February, 2012 relocated one Strela crane to the docking compartment Poisk. A second EVA, performed in August, moved the second Strela to

. These moves were required because Pirs was detached and deorbited to allow the MLM Nauka to dock to the location occupied by ''Pirs''.

References

{{Mir modules Mir Russian components of the International Space Station

Overview

See also

References