An undisclosed source at the Russian Mission Control Center was quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency as saying the German robotic device, called Rokviss, has been able to send a signal to Earth, but it cannot pick up a reply. German and Russian specialists will switch on Rokviss several more times in the near future to test it, the source added.

NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao and Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov installed Rokviss on the surface of the service module Zvezda during a space walk last week. Rokviss, which stands for Robotics Component Verification on the ISS, consists of a small double-jointed manipulator arm, an illumination system and a power supply. Rokviss is supposed to test the ability of lightweight robotic jo ints to operate in space for future assembly work or satellite repair and servicing.

Rokviss will be commanded by operators on the ground at the German Space Operations Center outside Munich, or the German Aerospace Research Institute -- which has six facilities at separate locations -- during periods when the ISS is flying over the country. The space station crew also can operate it.

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