Resident helped put Canada in the space game

July 23, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons

Many people reach for the stars. For a King City man, his handiwork has been to space and back.
Right now, far above us, the fruits of Jim Middleton’s labours are operating aboard one of mankind’s greatest achievements – the International Space Station.
Middleton is not just a brilliant electronic systems engineer, he’s the epitome of setting your sights high, and achieving lofty goals. His work will likely go down in history as one of the top creations in space exploration.
The retired engineer was elated as private cargo ship Cygnus brought needed supplies and food to the space station July 16, being plucked out of space by a contraption that Middleton helped create – the Canadarm2.
Middleton, known for his work on the initial Canadarm used on NASA space shuttles, was responsible for creating the robotic arms on the ISS.
This isn’t just an arm, but something that does a total job. Middleton describes it as a “tow truck” of sorts. The machine moves on rails along the station’s massive truss, to help repair, build and maintain the station. It’s also a “walking arm,” leaving its base and moving like an inchworm as it crawls along the exterior of this football-field-size structure.
Canadarm2 is larger and heavier than the original Canadarm. On Earth, it weighs about 1,640 kilograms compared with 410 kilograms for the Canadarm. It can handle payloads of up to 116,000 kilograms – the weight of the shuttle (the arm was designed to pull the Shuttle in to berth with the station).
Canadarm2, launched in 2001, is a 17-metre-long robotic arm while in space. It is routinely used to move supplies, equipment and even astronauts. As well as supporting the station’s maintenance and upkeep, it is responsible for performing “cosmic catches,” the capturing and docking of unpiloted spacecraft that carry everything from science payloads to necessities for the 6-person crew on board the ISS.
With seven joints, the Canadarm2 can bend, rotate and manoeuver itself into tight spots, all crucial qualities for the larger and more complex operational tasks it must perform.
Middleton is also over the moon about Dextre, the two-armed worker robot that can accomplish a multitude of tasks.
Launched in 2008, Dextre is the most sophisticated space robot ever built. It’s a “space handyman” with a mission to keep the ISS ship-shape. Dextre’s role is to perform maintenance work and repairs like changing batteries and replacing cameras outside the ISS. Having Dextre on call reduces the amount of risky spacewalks to do routine chores, thus giving astronauts more time for science, the main goal of the ISS. Dextre’s special skills offer a unique and opportune testing ground for new robotics concepts like servicing satellites in space.
Dextre can ride on the end of Canadarm2 to move from worksite to worksite, or simply hitch a ride on the mobile base.
These vital tools can be operated by both astronauts aboard ISS and on the ground, from centres in Canada and the U.S. This frees up the astronauts to carry out more important tasks.
Middleton also worked on developing arms for various probes, satellites and the Mars rover Curiosity.
He still keeps his hand in things, helping a colleague with his start-up company in Toronto.
Middleton’s claim to fame was working on the original Canadarm, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in November 1981.
Seeing it open up from Columbia’s cargo bay was one of those “face moments,” which he called “awe-inspiring.”
He also found lift-offs of the shuttles and the Saturn V rockets to be “experiential moments.”
But he doesn’t have favourite moments or specific accomplishments. He and his teams of experts were focused and task-driven. They had a job to do, a solution to find.
He began with RCA in Montreal and worked on an extending antenna for NASA’s Apollo program. He moved to Toronto to join SPAR Aerospace in to help on the Canadarm project in the early 1970s. There was a great deal of collaboration among several companies, led by SPAR. But this relatively small Canadian company received very close scrutiny and overseeing by NASA.
Middleton helped develop the Canadarm simulator and became known as a systems troubleshooter.
There were plenty of electrical problems on the arm in the early stages of development and Middleton had to come up with the solutions. He worked closely with NASA officials and astronauts, who took a hands-on approach in all aspects of the space program.
Middleton satisfied the skeptics at NASA by creating a failsafe software to prevent the arm from potentially dangerous “uncommanded motion.”
Middleton was working at Mission Control in Houston when Columbia was launched, monitoring the arm’s performance.
This was the first time we sent something into space and it came back, he observed, a milestone in human space exploration.
As an interesting anecdote, the Canadian government wanted a national symbol on the arm and the iconic Canadarm and flag logo was developed. This specially designed patch had to go through incredible testing before it was approved. The Americans scurried to create their own flag, wanting the stars and stripes to be the first image shown on camera when the shuttle doors opened. They relied on their Canadian colleagues to help them out.
The Canadarm performed as expected from the outset. As time went on the only changes involved moving to digital electronics and the integration of better computers.
The success of the Canadarm solidified Canada’s participation in the space program and proved our own technological prowess.
There were many offshooting benefits from the development of the arm and SPAR received many contracts from counterparts in Europe and Japan.
The shuttle, which took its last flight in 2011, proved to be an interesting challenge, Middleton noted.
This machine shot up to the heavens in nine minutes, reaching speeds of roughly 18,000 mph. Then it had to come back.
The entire program was fraught with constant challenges and costs. And, when something goes wrong, it’s “catastrophic,” Middleton observed, as witnessed by the Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) tragedies.
Middleton was fortunate to be on the cutting edge of space accomplishments through the 1970s and ‘80s. Those milestones for the human race inspired millions around the globe.
Today, however, NASA has “devolved” from its heyday and now the program relies on Russian assistance, since the U.S. no longer has any orbiter vehicles in service.
Middleton wonders whether we’ve reached the “Arrow” stage of our prowess, referring to the legendary Avro Arrow project that came to an abrupt halt, eliminating a chapter of what could have been Canada’s best moment in aviation history.
The future of Canada’s space program is also somewhat in limbo. Another Canadian astronaut will not be sent to the ISS until at least 2017.
The shuttle’s Canadarm wrapped up 30 years of successful operations when it was retired along with the space shuttle program after mission STS-135, which marked the robotic arm’s 90th flight. The arm’s legacy lives on, though, since it established Canada’s international reputation for robotics innovation and know-how and generated the family of Canadian robotics on the ISS, as well as future generations to come. Its excellent performance record has inspired several generations of scientists and engineers as they develop new technologies for industry, medicine, and other applications.
Middleton has gotten to know many of the astronauts personally, and is impressed with Canadian ambassadors Chris Hatfield and Marc Garneau. He has a special fondness for Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, flying twice aboard Challenger.
Middleton shared his stories, anecdotes and personal opinions at a talk Tuesday night, part of the King ASK Festival. He spoke to guests at Locale restaurant and whisked them away into outer space.
Perhaps James Middleton’s name should be added to the prestigious list of ambassadors for Canada’s space program.
To boldly go …