In article , rfdjr1
@optonline.net says...

I guess that's what it's called. The manipulator arm that was on the shuttle,
and the one that's now on the ISS.

Actually, the shuttle's RMS and the stations SSRMS are not the same.
The SSRMS is obviously newer and shares some design heritage with the
RMS, but it's requirements are quite a bit different, so the hardware
turned out to be quite a bit different as well.

I was wondering how it grabbed onto whatever
it was supposed to? Did anything that it was supposed to manipulate have some
sort of a standardized attachment for it to grip? often see it with a
cylindrical end. It didn'tuse suction did it? Can you even use suction in what's
already a vacuum?

This is a good starting point, but some of the links to the pictures are
broken. :-(

http://home.comcast.net/~issguide/components/SSRMS.html

A good book on the space shuttle ought to have a chapter on the original
RMS and how its end effector works.

Also, given all the articulating joints on the arm, I have to believe there's a
lot of lubrication? If so, how does it not freeze up or melt down in the space
environment? Thanks.

Don't know about that.

Jeff
--
" Ares 1 is a prime example of the fact that NASA just can't get it
up anymore... and when they can, it doesn't stay up long. "
- tinker