When the Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off later this summer for the International Space Station (ISS) it will have an unusual, silent passenger on board - the first in a new generation of space-faring robots.rnRobonaut 2, or R2 for short, is a humanoid robot with a head like a golden motorcycle helmet. Its hands, arms and torso are as white as an imperial storm trooper from Star Wars. The 308-pound (142-kilogram) robot, which has no lower limbs, will be heading for a permanent posting in the space station's Destiny laboratory.
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