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. […]
Todd Hirsch and Rob Roach of ATB Financial are co-authors of a new book entitled Spiders in Space: Successfully Adapting to Unwanted Change. What an intriguing title! The book profiles several Canadian individuals, organizations and businesses who have successfully adapted to change. Drawing on inspiring stories and lessons learned, the book provides insight on how […]
One section of my curriculum vitae lists the organizations of which I am or was once a member. There is one organization, however, that I do not mention. Although not listed, I am proud to have been a member of The Troublemakers Club. When I was a young astronaut at the National Research Council in […]
One of my favourite Old Testament heroes is Gideon. Gideon was a prominent judge who led the Israelites in several key battles around 1150 BCE. In one story, Gideon recruited 32,000 Israeli volunteers in preparation to fight the Midians. This army, however, was deemed by God to be much too large so Gideon was directed […]
Although I retired as an astronaut several years ago, I remain engaged with the Canadian Space Agency. Human spaceflight is my passion and I continue to do whatever I can to advance Canada’s role in space exploration. I suppose ‘once an astronaut, always an astronaut’. I spent two days in Houston last week participating in […]
I had a wonderful time participating in the National Research Council’s centennial kick-off event last week. The National Research Council (NRC) is Canada’s primary research laboratory. Its purpose is to provide industrial and innovative know-how to help our nation address critical scientific and technical issues. NRC has a distinguished past – some of its earliest […]
I was delighted to read UCalgary’s announcement about new funding for space research. As part of the Canadian Space Agency’s Geospace Observatory Canada initiative, $1.4M has been granted to three universities, including the University of Calgary, for research into space weather. Weather in space! Who knew? There are, of course, no visible clouds or blizzards in […]
Last week, I was in Toronto participating in the annual general meeting of Tomatosphere. Tomatosphere is a Canadian project that promotes science learning at the grade school level (students aged 8 – 14). It connects students’ fascination with space travel and the role that green plants must someday play in the life support system of space […]
Last week, I was in Houston, Texas for medical testing. Every year, usually around my birth date, I return to the NASA Johnson Space Center to participate in the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health program. The Canadian Space Agency supports my participation. Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) is a proactive medical surveillance program. Its purpose […]