Russian Humanoid Robot Flies Into Space, Fails to Dock at Station

nightqueen

Sep 3, 2019 2:59 AM EDT

While the rest of us have been looking at cat videos, Russian scientists have sent a humanoid robot into space. And it wasn't just hitching a ride - Fedor, the six-foot Russian robot, was in the driving seat.

via Independent

Fedor (an acronym for 'final experimental demonstration object research') is a Russian robot that may be the harbinger of the robot revolution – or not. The robot, which is probably most famous for it's gun-wielding video (after which everyone had to be assured that it is not the Terminator), is a humanoid robot, meaning that it is designed to look and act like humans. And yes, of course we're thinking of every sci-fi film ever made, too.
via Daily Mail

But this robot has a specific purpose: to test the new Soyuz MS-14 rocket, which are being upgraded. For nearly a decade, these capsules were the only vehicles capable of flying humans into orbit. But it's time to make some changes, and Fedor is up to being the test dummy.
via Daily Mail

That's not it's only mission. As Fedor is a humanoid robot, it's more than capable of doing many human activities, including driving a car, using power tools, shooting a gun, open a door with a key, a do push ups. Fedor will also spend ten days assisting the astronauts at the ISS with repairs and maintenance, with the hope that one day Fedor will be able to dramatically reduce the time astronauts spend in non-oxygen environments.
via CNN

After months of training, Fedor got strapped in to the cozy cockpit of the Soyuz MS-14 capsule and, with a Russian flag in it's hand, said the famous words of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, as he waited for take-off: "Let's go, let's go."
via DW

Unfortunately, Fedor didn't make it the whole way to the ISS. The Soyuz capsule failed to dock automatically, and is currently 96 meters away from the ISS. The docking is going to be attempted again on Monday morning, and hopefully Fedor's exciting mission can resume.
via MMA Mania

Fedor is not the first robot sent into space, but it is definitely the first robot with it's own Instagram and Twitter accounts to go into space.