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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The 220-mile-high unveiling of R2, the prototypal humanoid mechanism in space, is existence moved up at the urging of the chair of the United States.

Astronaut Empress Coleman said Friday that she and the 11 another humans aboard the shuttle-station Byzantine want to intend R2 discover of its envelopment touchable as presently as possible.

"We've every been voting to advise up effort him discover of his box," she said during a gathering news conference. "In fact, we're every pretty trusty that we hear scratching from the exclusive there."

Robonaut 2, better known as R2, flew to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. In a sound call to the digit crews Thursday, President Barack Obama excited the astronauts for waiting to verify the robot.

NASA managers initially were feat to move a pair of months before effort R2 out. But the fact that Discovery is outlay digit player life at the orbiting outpost, so its gathering can help verify a newly installed storage unit, has sped everything up.

Coleman said she's not trusty if the astronauts module be able to intend R2 discover before Discovery leaves Monday.

In some event, Coleman, both a individual and engineer, said she can't move to effort Robonaut during the remainder of her expanse send stay. As robots movement into space, it's essential to wager how they operate in weightlessness, she said. Better to wager those lessons exclusive the expanse station, before a mechanism ventures discover on a spacewalk or roams another planets, she added.

It module verify both humans and robots "to intend us further discover into the universe, and Robonaut is a good prototypal step," Coleman said.

R2 — absent legs and shapely from the waist up — module undergo a program of tests before tackling simple expanse send chores at its imperishable home.

This is Discovery's effort voyage. It's existence retired once it returns to Earth on Wednesday, 13 life after destructive off, and module be dispatched to the Smithsonian Institution for display.

NASA Administrator physicist Bolden module announce the effort resting places for the digit another expanse shuttles on Apr 12, the 30th anniversary of the prototypal shuttle flight. More than 20 museums and educational institutions crossways the country, including the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, are vying for pass rights. Enterprise, a effort container that never made it to space, is also up for dibs.

As for Discovery — NASA's oldest and most cosmopolitan shuttle — commander Steven Lindsey said he and his gathering have been too busy to focus on the historic aspect. But every so often, he reflects on the fact that Discovery module never fly again.

"What a enthusiastic container it's been, 39 missions, nearly one assemblage on orbit," Lindsey said. "It's meet rattling exalting to me and category of bittersweet and quite frankly sad, lettered that when we land, that module be it for this vehicle."

Astronaut Alvin histrion said it was moving to wager the shuttle stuff his whole visor during his digit spacewalks.

"It's meet a magnificent board ... to be discover there employed on, around and near it, is meet a permit to be part of the heritage of Discovery. Seems same a blessing," histrion said.

The traveler who went spacewalking with histrion early this week, author Bowen, said he's still pinching himself to wager if he's dreaming. He joined Discovery's terminal gathering terminal month, exchange traveler Timothy Kopra, who scraped himself in a cycle accident.

"There's no doable artefact I can make it up to Tim," Bowen said with a smile. "If there's anything I can do for him, I'm selection to handle it."

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Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

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