Latest news with #SpaceShuttleEndeavour
Canada Standard
10 hours ago
- Science
- Canada Standard
The Canadian Space Agency remembers Marc Garneau
Canada News Centre 05 Jun 2025, 07:41 GMT+10 June 4, 2025 - Longueuil, Quebec Former Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Marc Garneau has passed away at the age of 76. Garneau was one of the original six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. He launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984, as a payload specialist, making history as the first Canadian in space. He flew twice more, on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1996 and 2000. Following his astronaut career, Garneau was appointed President of the Canadian Space Agency, and was later elected to Parliament, where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport. His decades of unwavering service - as a naval engineer, astronaut and Parliamentarian - is an inspiration to all Canadians. He embodied the very essence of public service. Among the awards and honours he has received are the Order of Canada, 1984; The F.W. (Casey) Baldwin Award, Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, 1985; NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 1997; Chancellor, Carleton University, 2003; Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2002; and several honorary doctorates.
Cision Canada
17 hours ago
- Science
- Cision Canada
The Canadian Space Agency remembers Marc Garneau
LONGUEUIL, QC, /CNW/ - Former Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Marc Garneau has passed away at the age of 76. Garneau was one of the original six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. He launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984, as a payload specialist, making history as the first Canadian in space. He flew twice more, on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1996 and 2000. Following his astronaut career, Garneau was appointed President of the Canadian Space Agency, and was later elected to Parliament, where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport. His decades of unwavering service – as a naval engineer, astronaut and Parliamentarian – is an inspiration to all Canadians. He embodied the very essence of public service. Among the awards and honours he has received are the Order of Canada, 1984; The F.W. (Casey) Baldwin Award, Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, 1985; NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 1997; Chancellor, Carleton University, 2003; Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2002; and several honorary doctorates. Quote "We are deeply grateful to Marc Garneau for his extraordinary public service, visionary leadership, and enduring contributions to Canada and the world — from making history as the first Canadian in space to guiding the Canadian Space Agency as its President. Beyond his remarkable achievements, Marc was an exceptional human being: thoughtful, principled, and deeply committed to serving others. His integrity and generosity of spirit touched everyone who had the privilege to work with him. His legacy will continue to inspire us as we advance the role of space in improving life on Earth." Biography of Marc Garneau History of the Canadian astronaut corps Backgrounder – Forty years of Canadians in space Website: Follow us on social media! SOURCE Canadian Space Agency
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quarantined ahead of 5th trip to space, Whitson inducted with trailblazer Harris to Astronaut Hall of Fame
MERRITT ISLAND — Four-time spaceflight veteran Peggy Whitson had a good excuse for not showing up Saturday for her own induction ceremony to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. She's in quarantine to go to space again. Whitson is slated to command the private Axiom Space Ax-4 mission flying in a new SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft set to launch as early as June 8. So her presence at the ceremony held under the suspended Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was purely virtual. 'Please know that my heart is with you. It is a privilege to be a part of such an esteemed group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to exploring the unknown,' she said in a message recorded at an undisclosed location nearby. Fellow inductee and two-time space shuttle astronaut Bernard Harris, who became the first Black person to perform a spacewalk, was on hand, though. He was joined by dozens of former astronauts and NASA officials as both his and Whitson's plaques were revealed — becoming the 110th and 111th members of the hall of fame created in 1990 by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and represented at the visitor complex with its own building honoring inductees. While both had significant careers with NASA, Whitson has spent a little bit more time in space — 37 times more. Chosen as an astronaut candidate in 1996, Whitson's first trip to space was in 2002 on Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-111 for her first of four stays on board the International Space Station. She flew home on STS-113, also on Endeavour, and then returned twice on Soyuz missions in 2007 and 2016. She became the first female commander of the space station — and to date is its only two-time commander. After retiring from NASA she joined private company Axiom Space and commanded its second commercial mission Axiom 2 in 2023. The four trips have amounted to more than 675 days in space — giving her the the all-time record for women in space, as well the record for an American astronaut. That total is set to grow by another two weeks once Ax-4 is completed. 'I applied to NASA's astronaut training program four times over nine years, and was denied. After 10 years and my fifth try of applying, I finally made it. It's only in retrospect that I can say those years of rejection were good for me,' she said. 'Those years of being refused a chance at my dream gave me an incredible experience as a leader, a builder of teams and a member of international partnerships. 'As it turned out, all of those were critical to my career as an astronaut — each mission, each spacewalk and each experiment conducted on board the International Space Station has been a step toward understanding our universe and improving life here on Earth.' Harris was chosen as an astronaut candidate in 1990 and flew his first mission — STS-55 — on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993 followed by STS-63 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 1995. The second flight, a dress rehearsal flight for docking missions with the Russian space station Mir, wasn't supposed to feature a spacewalk but the dominoes fell into place setting up Harris' landmark experience. 'In truth, I didn't know i was the first African American until I got back inside and I got the call that President Clinton wanted to talk to me,' he said. 'I kind of went like, 'What for?'' Both 68-year-old Harris born in Temple, Texas in 1956, and 65-year-old Whitson, born in Beaconsfield, Iowa in 1960, cited the Apollo 11 moonwalk by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as their inspiration to become astronauts. 'The moon landing, when I was 9 years old, seemed to make space attainable,' Whitson said. 'My 9-year-old self thought that astronaut had to be the ultimate job. 'So thanks to the moon landing, maybe even a little bit Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, as well as my first ride in the Cessna 150 with my Dad, that spark grew into a passion for space exploration.' Harris, who was 13 when history was made, said he wrestled with other events of the time. 'I was old enough to go through the early 60s, the civil rights movement,' he said. 'I could turn one channel and see some of the greatest accomplishments of human beings at that time and turn the channel and see Blacks fighting for their right to vote or to exist depending on what part of the country that they were in.' He said he still marvels at how his 13-year-old mind was able to meld those events together. 'I came to the conclusion that even though I didn't see anybody who looked like me in the program — there were no women in the program, no people of color in the program that we could see … But I decided that if I didn't see someone who looked like me I would be the first to try and go break that ceiling.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mae Jemison on making history in space and inspiring change on Earth
More than three decades after making history aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, Dr. Mae Jemison continues to inspire the next wave of space travelers while championing science and education on Earth. Selected from among 2,000 applicants to NASA's astronaut training program in 1987, Jemison was part of the first group of astronauts chosen after the Challenger accident in 1987. During her eight-day mission on Endeavour in 1992, she became the first woman of color to travel to space, conducting 44 science experiments alongside her crewmates. "Space gives us a remarkable perspective for looking at the Earth," Jemison said. "We can look at and understand floods, what's happened to the ozone layer, we can look for minerals." She said despite being one of the few that have been in space, space technologies are integrated into everyday life. "How many people have a smartphone? ... That's global positioning in your hand. We use space technologies every day," Jemison said. Beyond the practical applications, Jemison believes space exploration offers a profound philosophical perspective. "What it did for me is to connect me with the greater universe," she said of her experience. "I imagined that I'm as much a part of this universe as any speck of stardust." When asked for advice for "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King, who is preparing for her own space journey on a Blue Origin flight, Jemison offered encouragement. "Understand that you have never had so many talented people looking after you in your life. The other is that you're going up, you're bringing your own perspective, whatever that is, live in that moment." Jemison also praised King, saying, "You are a courageous person. And courage is doing those things that we might be afraid of." Jemison also advocates for greater accessibility to space and its technologies. Since her historic flight, Jemison has dedicated her career to advancing science education and technology development, serving as a stand-in for those who may never experience space firsthand. "What's above us connects us," Jemison said. "Every group of people around the world have looked up at the stars for thousands of generations." King's journey to space on a Blue Origin rocket will be featured in a special additional hour of "CBS Mornings" on Monday, April 14, at 9 a.m. EDT. Hegseth reacts to Atlantic releasing his Signal texts to Trump team detailing Yemen bombing Hegseth doubles down on Signal chat texts not being "war plans" Former National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster reacts to Trump administration leak
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Astronaut Mae Jemison on making history in space and inspiring change on Earth: "What's above us connects us"
More than three decades after making history aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, Dr. Mae Jemison continues to inspire the next wave of space travelers while championing science and education on Earth. Selected from among 2,000 applicants to NASA 's astronaut training program in 1987, Jemison was part of the first group of astronauts chosen after the Challenger accident in 1987. During her eight-day mission on Endeavour in 1992, she became the first woman of color to travel to space, conducting 44 science experiments alongside her crewmates. "Space gives us a remarkable perspective for looking at the Earth," Jemison said. "We can look at and understand floods, what's happened to the ozone layer, we can look for minerals." She said despite being one of the few that have been in space , space technologies are integrated into everyday life. "How many people have a smartphone? ... That's global positioning in your hand. We use space technologies every day," Jemison said. Beyond the practical applications, Jemison believes space exploration offers a profound philosophical perspective. "What it did for me is to connect me with the greater universe," she said of her experience. "I imagined that I'm as much a part of this universe as any speck of stardust." When asked for advice for "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King, who is preparing for her own space journey on a Blue Origin flight, Jemison offered encouragement. "Understand that you have never had so many talented people looking after you in your life. The other is that you're going up, you're bringing your own perspective, whatever that is, live in that moment." Jemison also praised King, saying, "You are a courageous person. And courage is doing those things that we might be afraid of." Jemison also advocates for greater accessibility to space and its technologies. Since her historic flight, Jemison has dedicated her career to advancing science education and technology development, serving as a stand-in for those who may never experience space firsthand. "What's above us connects us," Jemison said. "Every group of people around the world have looked up at the stars for thousands of generations." King's journey to space on a Blue Origin rocket will be featured in a special additional hour of "CBS Mornings" on Monday, April 14, at 9 a.m. EDT.
