Expedition 27 flight engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman on Tuesday (March 15, 2011) unpacked Robonaut 2 (R2), a human-like robot that was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew in February.
The astronauts freed R2 from its foam-encased SLEEPR (Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut) and set the robot on its pedestal in the Destiny laboratory.
"It feels great to be out of my SLEEPR, even if I can't stretch out just yet," Robonaut 2 "posted" [URL=http://twitter.com/#!/AstroRobonaut/]on Twitter[/URL]. "I can't wait until I get to start doing some work!"
Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, will teach engineers how dexterous robots behave in space and through upgrades and advancements could one day venture outside the station to help spacewalkers make repairs or additions to the station or perform scientific work.