Table of Contents

Apogee January 2010

Year in Review 2009

January

Competition Narrows in National Astronaut
Recruitment Campaign
January 29, 2009 – Canada's third National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign is well underway. A record 5351 potential astronaut candidates submitted applications online when the campaign was launched in May 2008. Following the first phases of evaluations, including preliminary interviews and basic medical tests, 40 were selected to move forward to the next round in the evaluation process. The evaluations took place in the Montreal area and it was the first time candidates were brought together for testing since the beginning of the campaign. For more information, please visit the Canadian Astronauts Web pages.

February

AuroraMAX: New Project Puts the Northern Lights Online
February 25, 2009 - The Canadian Space Agency, the City of Yellowknife, the University of Calgary and Astronomy North announce the creation of AuroraMAX, an online observatory and outreach project that will feature live broadcast of the northern lights from Yellowknife. This collaborative venture aims to increase an understanding of the aurora both locally and nationally. A team led by University of Calgary space physicist Eric Donovan is operating the world's foremost network of Auroral cameras and is providing the scientific and technical support for AuroraMAX. The images produced by the AuroraMax project will become an important part of Canada's contribution to NASA's THEMIS mission to study the Aurora. For more information, please see
AuroraMAX (PDF document).

March

Top 16 Astronaut Candidates Introduced
March 16, 2009 - Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Steve MacLean introduces the Top 16 candidates who are participating in the Agency's National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. Over the last several months, the CSA has interviewed candidates and put them through a series of medical exams as well as physical and skills tests in what were sometimes extreme conditions. They have also been tested for their creativity, teamwork skills and physical fitness to determine their ability to meet the demands of astronaut training and space flight. The remaining steps of the campaign include a series of interviews and intensive medical exams to be completed over the next two months. The final two candidates will be selected as the newest members of Canada's Astronaut Corps in May 2009. For more information, please visit: Top 16 Candidate Biographies and Photos of the candidates throughout the evaluation process.

May

Two New Canadian Astronauts
May 13, 2009 - Nearly 25 years after the first Canadian astronaut flew into space and only weeks before two Canadian space veterans launch to the International Space Station, the Honourable Industry Minister Tony Clement and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Steve MacLean revealed the names of Canada's newest astronauts. Jeremy Hansen and David St-Jacques are the first Canadians to join the astronaut corps since 1992. They become the 11th and 12th Canadians to join the Canadian Astronaut Corps. The new astronauts will undergo brief training at the CSA headquarters this summer. In August 2009, they will begin their astronaut training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Until then, the new CSA astronauts will support the launch activities of their colleagues, Canadian astronauts, Robert Thirsk and Julie Payette. For more information, see the Canadian Astronauts Web pages.

Canada Plays a Key Role in Two New Cosmic Origins Missions
May 14, 2009 - The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory and Planck space telescope were successfully launched simultaneously aboard the same Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. With funding from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), four Canadian science teams made important contributions to both satellites, considered to be two of the most ambitious missions seeking to better understand the birth of stars and the dawn of the Universe. While the Herschel and Planck satellites are two separate missions, both contribute to enhance their respective research areas in far-infrared astronomy and cosmology. Canada joins an international consortium lead by the European Space Agency for the Herschel and Planck projects. The CSA's investment in these missions ($17.5 million for Herschel and $4 million for Planck) will allow Canadian researchers to join the teams of scientists who will spend years analyzing the data and answering fundamental questions about cosmic origins. More...

Successful Launch: Canadian Astronaut Bob Thirsk Lifts Off for Six Months on International Space Station
May 27, 2009 - Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Robert (Bob) Thirsk launched successfully from Baïkonur, Kazakhstan, aboard Soyuz TMA-15, marking the start of Canada's first long-duration mission in space. Thirsk will stay onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for six months, breaking Canada's-and his own-mission-length record of 17 days. A physician and mechanical engineer, Thirsk is the mission's Crew Medical Officer, robotics specialist, and specialist for Kibo, the Japanese experimental facility. Thirsk will conduct Canadian-led experiments that could lead to results for people who experience balance and movement control disorders, elderly people suffering from dizziness and fainting spells, or those afflicted with heart disease caused by a sedentary lifestyle. For more information about Expedition 20/21, visit: Canadian Space Agency
Expedition 20/21 Web pages.

Historic Milestone on the International Space Station - First Six-Person Crew
May 29, 2009 - Expedition 20/21 marks a new era for the International Space Station (ISS) as it transitions to a six-person crew. For the first time in its eleven-year history, all five international space agencies are represented onboard the station. Canada is proud to be a part of this international endeavour, as Canadian Robert Thirsk performs a six-month stay -the longest space mission Canada has ever undertaken. The United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan and Canada will all have at least one astronaut on the ISS during Expedition 20/21. They will all work together to perform science, technology, and other vital operations to serve the benefits of the international scientific community and ultimately, humankind. More about Expedition 20/21.

June

First Canadian Private Space Explorer Set to Launch on Humanitarian Mission to the International Space Station
June 4 announcement - Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the ONE DROP Foundation, will be the first Canadian private space explorer to visit the International Space Station. The announcement was made at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) headquarters, with Laliberté speaking from Moscow where he has begun his training. The CSA's Agency will advise Laliberté and he will meet with Canadian Astronaut Robert Thirsk while at the International Space Station. During his 12-day stay at the International Space Station, Laliberté will share information about water issues in the world and raise awareness for ONE DROP Foundation initiatives that promote "Water for all, all for water". Julie Payette will also be taking the ONE DROP foundation's emblem with her to space as part of her official flight kit, to highlight the importance of protecting this precious resource. More...

July

Canadian Scientists Find Clues to the Water Cycle on Mars
July 2, 2009 - According to the first findings from the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, snow and water-ice clouds play a crucial role in the exchange of water between the atmosphere and surface of Mars, which suggests that the Red Planet is even more like Earth than previously thought. The surprise discovery of Martian snow in 2008 by the Canadian-built weather station on NASA's Phoenix Mars lander helps explain how the water cycle on Mars behaves. The Canadian science team's paper, entitled "Mars Water-Ice Clouds and Precipitation," describes how water vapour is lofted upwards during the daytime, forming clouds of ice-crystals low in the atmosphere that resemble cirrus clouds on Earth. Water then precipitates through the atmosphere at night in the form of snow. For more information, please visit the CSA's Phoenix Web pages.

IGARSS Conference
July 12-17, 2009 – The IEEE International Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium, in Cape Town, South Africa. represents a milestone in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society's strategic objective to broaden international participation, particularly in the developing countries.

Canadian Space Agency speakers and representatives attended the event and the exhibition and promoted Canada's capabilities in Earth observation, namely RADARSAT-2 applications.

Successful Launch: Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette en route to the International Space Station
July 15, 2009 - Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Julie Payette is on her way to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. During this mission, Julie Payette will operate the Shuttle Canadarm, the Station's Canadarm2, and the Japanese robotic arm. The mission's main event will be the installation of an external platform on the Japanese laboratory Kibo along with scientific experiments that will be exposed to the extreme environment of space. Astronaut Payette will be joining Astronaut Robert Thirsk, already aboard the Station since May. The number of astronauts working and living on board will have doubled by the time Space Shuttle Endeavour arrives. For more information, please visit the Mission STS-127 Web pages.

MOCA-09 Assembly
July 19-29, 2009 - MOCA is the Meteorological-Oceanographic-Cryospheric Assembly of researchers from around the world. Canadian Space Agency space science delegates and representatives attended the event and the exhibition held in Montreal, Quebec, and promoted Canada's capabilities in Earth observation, namely using Canadian satellites and istruments to provide essential information on ocean, ice, land environments, and the atmosphere. More...

Canada Marks Space Milestone as two Canadians meet in space for the first time
July 17, 2009 - Space shuttle Endeavour docked to the International Space Station (ISS) as they floated in tandem about 400 km above Earth. About two hours later, the hatch between the two spacecrafts was opened and the first six permanent ISS residents welcomed aboard the crew of mission STS-127. Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk, who launched to the Station on May 27th aboard a Soyuz rocket, greeted fellow Canadian astronaut Julie Payette to his orbital home. Julie Payette is participating in the 15th space mission for a Canadian over the past 16 years, seven of these missions being to the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour will remain docked to the ISS until July 31. During this time, the crew will install a platform onto the Japanese Laboratory Kibo, swap batteries, load other cargo, and perform five spacewalks. Payette will be at the controls of Canadarm, Canadarm2 and the Japanese robotic arm supporting this intensely robotic assembly mission. For more information, please visit the Mission STS-127 Web pages.

Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette returns to Earth
July 31, 2009 - The remarkably successful STS-127 mission came to an end with a picture-perfect landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The 16-day mission was a robotics-intense mission with astronauts completing the installation of the platform outside the Japanese laboratory Kibo and replacing critical equipment on the International Space Station (ISS).

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Julie Payette operated three arms during the mission-the Station's Canadarm2, the Shuttle's Canadarm and the Japanese arm. More about Mission STS-127...

September

Strengthening Canada - U.S. Space Collaboration
September 9, 2009 - Reaffirming nearly 50 years of collaboration in the peaceful use and exploitation of space for the benefits of their citizens and humanity, Steve MacLean, President of the Canadian Space Agency and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden signed an overarching Framework Agreement on Space Cooperation. This agreement, reaffirms Canada's commitment to cooperation in the use and exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes with the United States, and contains all the legal elements required under international law for the conduct of space cooperation projects. The Agreement fosters and facilitates collaboration between government departments, scientists and the industrial sector by enabling the more technical aspects of cooperative projects to be drafted and undertaken through parallel implementing agreements. CSA cooperation with NASA has traditionally benefited the scientific and industrial communities as well as Canadian Government departments by providing access to scientific data, data sharing or joint applications development as part of the collaboration. More...

Canadian Cosmic Catch
September 17, 2009 - The Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Canadarm2 successfully captured an unpiloted, free-flying Japanese vehicle -a first Canadian cosmic catch for the robotic arm on the International Space Station (ISS).

Following this delicate capturing maneuver, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk will take over the controls of the arm and dock the carrier onto the ISS to finalize the rendezvous. Known as HTV
(H-II Transfer Vehicle), the automated Japanese supply ship will deliver 6 000 kg of cargo, both pressurized and unpressurized to the ISS.

Robert Thirsk will use the Canadarm2 once again on September 23 to extract two science experiments from inside the cargo craft and place them on the Japanese Kibo module's external platform (installed in July 2009 by astronaut Julie Payette). More on Expedition 20/21...

October

25 years of Canadians in Space
On October 5, 2009, Canada celebrated 25 years of human presence in space. A quarter of a century ago, U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off in the early morning sky from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau aboard. Since this maiden space flight, Canada has an impressive track record of 14 shuttle missions and even a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Canadian astronauts have taken part in numerous scientific experiments and given a helping hand in assembling the ISS. More...

Canadian students explore space in South Korea - 60th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation
October 12-16, 2009 - For one week in October 2009, the next generation of space explorers from Canada, the U.S., Japan and Europe joined undergraduate and graduate students from South Korea at the 60th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation held in Daejon, South Korea. The Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Space Learning Program supported the attendance of 26 Canadian students. As part of this collaboration, students from around the world were privy to a special question and answer session with senior agency representatives, including CSA President Dr. Steve MacLean. Senior CSA managers and space industry leaders were also introduced to the students. In small group discussions, they shared insight on the direction of our national space program and advice on the route students could follow to contribute to the Canadian Space Program. CSA speakers and representatives attended the IAC Congress and Exhibition and promoted Canada's capabilities in earth observation, space science and exploration, satellite communications, and space awareness and learning. More...

November

Successful Launch of Canadian Technology On European Space Agency SMOS/Proba-2 satellites
November 2, 2009 - The SMOS and Proba-2 satellites are launched successfully aboard a Russian Rockot launch vehicle. The dual launch includes a primary satellite called SMOS (Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity), developed under the European Space Agency's (ESA) "Living Planet" program, that will observe soil moisture over the Earth's landmass and salinity over the oceans. As a secondary objective, SMOS will also provide observations over snow and ice covered regions, and contribute to the study of the cryosphere. The second satellite Proba-2 (PRoject OnBoard Autonomy) is part of ESA's In-orbit Technology Demonstration Program. Proba-2 contains four on-board instruments supporting solar observation and plasma measurements and a number of innovative spacecraft technologies. As a cooperating member of the European Space Agency (ESA), Canada is an active participant in the SMOS and Proba-2 missions. The Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) participation and funding of Earth Observation Space Technology Programs has enabled Canadian companies to actively contribute advanced technology for demonstration on these satellites. In addition, the CSA is also supporting the scientific exploitation of SMOS data through its Government Related Initiative Program. For more information, please go to: SMOS-Proba-2 missions.

Minister Clement Announces Government Investments in Innovative
Canadian Technologies
November 12, 2009 – The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and the Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), today announced an investment of over $8 million in 26 research and development contracts. This investment ensures the timely development of priority technologies that are required for the implementation of specific potential future missions of interest to Canada. The 26 contracts were awarded through the CSA's Space Technology Development Program (STDP) which issues periodic Requests for Proposals to identify and support the development and demonstration of strategic space technologies. More...

December

Canadian Astronaut Robert Thirsk Lands on Earth Writing a New Chapter in Canadian Space Exploration History
December 1, 2009 - Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Robert Thirsk landed on the plains of Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz Capsule after completing an exceptional 188-day mission in space, of which 186 days were spent living and working onboard the International Space Station (ISS). As a member of the first six-person crew onboard the ISS, Thirsk performed many vital science, technology, maintenance and education initiatives in support of the Canadian and international scientific communities. He was also part of the first 13-person assembly of humans in space, and welcomed his Canadian colleague Julie Payette to the station in July. Taking into account his STS-178 shuttle flight in 1996 and this first long-duration Canadian space flight, Thirsk has spent a total of 206 days in space, surpassing the total number of days spent in space of all other Canadian astronauts combined. For more information, please visit the Expedition 20/21 Web pages.