美国“哥伦比亚”号航天飞机在去年11月和今年3月的两次飞行中,成功地完成了它的主要使命之一——15.33米长的遥控机械手的各项试验。这个机械手能上下伸屈、左右摆动和转动,犹如人的手臂,灵活自如。航天飞机进入轨道后,机械手能从货仓伸出去,把诸如卫星迭类物体(或实验装置)放置到轨道上, During its two flights last November and March this year, the U.S. space shuttle Columbia successfully completed all the trials of its 15.33-meter-long remote manipulator, one of its main missions. This manipulator can flexion up and down, swinging and turning around, like a human arm, flexible and comfortable. After the space shuttle enters the orbit, the manipulator can extend out of the depot to place objects such as satellites (or experimental devices) onto the orbit,