Mythologies of Outer Space

I enjoyed reading ‘Mythologies of Outer Space’. The book reaffirms in my mind that the exploration of space cannot be regarded simply as a research and development undertaking. The hard part of future exploration will be managing the spectrum of partners and the diversity of interests so that we can explore safely, sustainably, equitably and peacefully.

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Planetary Defence, Healthcare & the Future of Humanity

I recently participated in an enjoyable interview with Senior Editor Ivan Duran of the Harvard Health Policy Review . Ivan’s questions were wide-ranging. Besides asking me about my experiences in space, he also asked my thoughts on the delivery of remote healthcare, benefits to Earth from investments in space, and planetary protection.

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Planning for the Best; Preparing for the Worst

On December 3, David Saint-Jacques will launch with two crewmates from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station. David will spend six months aboard the Station as part of the ‘C3’ expedition, Canada’s third long-duration mission. Preparation for an ISS expedition is a significant undertaking requiring the […]

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Skills for Success in the Digital Economy

I dropped in last week on an educational workshop being held at the Vancouver office of SAP Canada. 40 Grade 6 to 9 students and their teachers from local schools were engaged in a hands-on project called Living Space. As I moved about their workspace, I noted that the students and teachers were coding tiny […]

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Returning Home in Soyuz – a Wild, Wild Ride

A second edition of the book ‘The Farthest Shore: A 21st Century Guide to Space’ has just been published by Apogee Books (a Canadian publisher). http://www.cgpublishing.com/ The original book was a paperback that served as a textbook for the students of International Space University. It covered all aspects of space exploration and development. The new […]

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Let’s regain our place as a nation of explorers

I noticed a tweet this morning from my space colleague Natalie Panek stating that the federal government’s Standing Committee on Finance had launched its pre-budget consultations and deliberations in advance of the 2019 federal budget. Natalie encouraged us to make our voices heard by sharing our priorities with the Committee. I was eager to help. […]

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Failure: a critical element on the path to success

Several years ago, when I was a novice astronaut, I was asked to participate in a training simulation. The training session lasted about eight hours and involved mission managers, flight controllers and crew. As a participating crewmember, I was stationed in a high-fidelity simulator of the International Space Station in a building at the NASA […]

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International Space University’s Space Studies Program: a path to a career in space

Congratulations to Maliyat and TJ for determining that I was in Cork, Ireland earlier this month to participate in International Space University (ISU)’s Space Studies Program (SSP). I’ll put signed photos in the mail for both of you. My visit to Cork was brief but I did have the opportunity to deliver a lecture, adjudicate […]

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