 servicing and repairing unmanned satellites at space station, robots constructing colonies for men and women to live and work together on the moon and the planet Mars. These are bold, complex space missions being considered by NASA for the 1990s and well into the 21st century. To support these spell-binding space adventures, NASA is directing an aggressive program in automation and robotics. One of the key NASA centers developing state-of-the-art robotics for space station freedom is NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center just outside of Washington, D.C. Goddard will develop the flight tele-robotic servicer called FTS for short for space station freedom. This includes the development of the FTS operational flight system, a series of test flights aboard space shuttle, and the development of a ground-based research facility. Goddard is responsible also for transferring this high technology to American industry and the public, enhancing the United States industrial competitive posture worldwide. A tele-robotic servicer, FTS is a robotic device that combines tele-operation using a human operator to direct the machine with autonomous capabilities for performing tasks mostly by itself but supervised by man. Plans call for the FTS to assist the astronauts in the assembly of space station freedom. While FTS will be limited initially to spacecraft servicing and maintenance tasks, ultimately it will be able to reach, retrieve and service unmanned satellites in an unprecedented manner, saving millions of dollars. Servicing a spacecraft crippled in orbit became a reality in 1984 when astronauts aboard the space shuttle repaired the solar maximum mission spacecraft so it once again could continue its investigation of the solar cycle. Study contracts to develop FTS concepts have recently been completed for Goddard by Grumman Space Systems and Martin Marietta Astronautics Group. One of the two companies will be selected for a final design contract in the spring of 1989. When operational, FTS will improve reliability, productivity and safety and will act as an aid to astronauts. Also, it will perform tedious and hazardous tasks. To meet this technological challenge, the Goddard Space Flight Center is developing a unique space robotics facility. This facility, housing a variety of robots, computers, display systems, plus a full-scale mock-up of space station hardware will be used by the Goddard robotics team to create, test and evaluate new robotic technologies required to support the evolution of the flight tele-robotic servicer. During the past year, several demonstrations were successfully conducted at Goddard. Some highlights include the removal of an orbital replacement unit by industrial robots, vision-controlled docking which permits the robot to find an object and dock on it for removal, and voice control of cameras which freeze the operator's hands for tele-operation. One of the key demonstrations was the use of a forced-reflecting master-slave tele-robot which successfully repaired a full-scale mock-up of the solar maximum mission spacecraft using the same procedures performed in space in 1984. Looking toward the future, a gantry robot will be installed in the robotics facility by January of 1989 to demonstrate FTS operational tasks. The final goal of the FTS program is to move innovative concepts from research into flight systems, thus providing spin-off benefits for the science and industrial communities. Goddard's long-range plan for the robotics facility is to make it a national resource for use by private industry, other government agencies and universities to test and evaluate their own concepts and hardware. Working closely with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, Goddard's far-reaching goal for robotics in space is the definition and maintenance of a functional systems architecture. The NASA NIST standard reference model for tele-robot control system architecture, or NASRAM, has been selected and developed by the FTS program to fill this national need. One of the unique technologies being developed by Goddard for the FTS program is a robot simulation system. This animated graphic system is being used to emulate the control system for robot configurations and provide critical information regarding the robot's reach capability, potential path planning, collision detection and avoidance. The flight tele-robotic servicer aboard Space Station Freedom will revolutionize America's space program. It will allow us to service and repair both the space station and spacecraft, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and Gamma Ray Observatory, conduct routine maintenance services and replenish hazardous fuels. FTS will also assemble spacecraft and instruments which have been flown on separate flights to the station by the shuttle. The assembly of large instruments at Space Station could have a major impact in scientific investigations of the cosmos and planet Earth for generations to come. NASA's development of robotics will allow the United States to explore and extend the endless boundaries of the space frontiers, advancing science, technology and private enterprise to support human settlements from the highlands of the moon to the plains of Mars.