On July 19, 2009, the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), spoke with Canadian Astronauts Julie Payette and Robert Thirsk during a live televised downlink event with the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbited 400 km above Earth. This event marked a special milestone in Canada's history of space exploration since it was the first time ever that two Canadian astronauts were in orbit at the same time. Credit: NASA TV