January 11, 2011
Canadian astronomers unveil a new survey of the Universe
Canadian astronomers who are members of an international team unveiled the first results produced by the Planck Space Telescope.
Launched in 2009, the Planck Space Telescope has nearly completed three of its four planned surveys of the entire sky. The goal of the Planck is to study the oldest source of light in the Universe, which will reveal more details about the formation and evolution of the Universe.
The Planck Space Telescope mission is led by the ESA, and includes contributions from the CSA. The CSA funds two Canadian research teams that are part of the Planck science collaboration, and who participated in the development of both of Planck's science instruments, the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) and the High Frequency Instrument (HFI).
January 17, 2011
New Canadarm Stamp
The Canadarm appears in a 2011 stamp from Canada Post that features the first Canadian handshake in space.
April 12, 2011
50 Years of Human Space Flight – A World-Wide Celebration
On April 12, 2011, the CSA united with space-faring nations from around the world to celebrate a milestone in human spaceflight history, the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight with Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin).
April 19, 2011
Canadarm2 Turns 10: CSA Celebrates a Decade of Success
April19, 2011 marked the tenth anniversary of Canadarm2, a 17-metre long robotic arm essential to the ISS's construction and operations.
Canadarm2 was launched to the ISS on April19, 2001, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. A larger, more robust successor to the Shuttle's Canadarm, Canadarm2 has provided a full decade of flawless service as the Station's sophisticated "construction crane," having assembled the ISS module by module in space.
Canadarm2 has unloaded hundreds of tons of equipment and supplies ferried by the shuttle and assisted almost 100spacewalks. Endeavour's last flight later the same month marked Canadarm2's 28th Shuttle mission. Additionally, the robotic arm performed two "cosmic catches" where it captured, docked and later released two unpiloted Japanese resupply ships (HTV-1 and HTV-2).
Built for the CSA in Brampton, Ontario, by MDA, Canadarm2 was installed on the ISS by astronaut Chris Hadfield during the first spacewalk by a Canadian. He was assisted in this feat by NASA astronaut ScottParazynski. In 2006, SteveMacLean became the first Canadian ever to operate Canadarm2 in space. CSA astronauts JuliePayette and RobertThirsk are the only other Canadians to have ever operated Canadarm2 in space. The robotic arm is routinely operated by flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Centre and the CSA's headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec.
See AlsoSatellite Jamming - Phantom Technologies LTD.China launches a new crew into space, including its first civilian astronautEvery Satellite Orbiting Earth and Who Owns ThemMilitary Wrestles With the High Cost of Satellite TerminalsCanadarm2's role on the ISS will expand as the orbital lab nears completion: in addition to performing routine maintenance, the robotic arm will make more frequent cosmic catches. When the Space Shuttle retires, reusable commercial spacecraft, like SpaceX's Dragon and Orbital's Cygnus, will be used to bring supplies and equipment to the ISS. Canadarm2 will capture each of these visiting vehicles, as well as the Japanese HTV transport vessels. In late 2011 and early 2012, Canadarm2 is scheduled to capture a series of 6 commercial spacecraft in just 7months.
May 13, 2011
HenryBuijs Receives Canadian Space Award
On May13,2011, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the Canadian Space Program, Dr.HenryBuijs was presented with the prestigious JohnH.Chapman Award of Excellence at the CSA's annual celebration, in the company of representatives from industry, academia, and government as well as former and current Canadian Astronauts.
About the JohnH.Chapman Award of Excellence
Established in 2000 and presented by the CSA to distinguished members of the space community, this award celebrates a remarkable contribution to the advancement of the Canadian Space Program and a lifetime of achievement in space science and technology. The recipient of the JohnH.Chapman Award of Excellence is selected by a committee chaired by the Agency's President. With this award, the CSA honours JohnH.Chapman's foresight and his lifetime of dedication to space innovation, ingenuity, and excellence. Past recipients include: DavidA.Golden, PeterC.Hughes, AllanI.Carswell, JohnD.MacNaughton, LarryClarke, GordonG.Shepherd, ColinA.Franklin, ValO'Donovan, and JohnS.MacDonald.
June 10, 2011
Canadian Microbolometer Sensor Focusing on Oceans, Fires and Volcanoes
Canada's Earth Observation Program reaches new heights with the successful launch of the 4th Argentinian Satélite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC-D) aboard a DeltaII rocket on June10, 2011.
The InfraRed Sensor Technology (NIRST) instrument, jointly developed by Canada and Argentina, will be put into low Earth orbit together with seven other instruments on this five-year international partnership mission.
The NIRST instrument is designed to retrieve temperatures of the surface of the ocean and the hot spots such as forest fires and volcanic activities.
The microbolometer sensors, which are the heart of the NIRST instrument, were designed and investigated through Research and Development activities at the CSA, and subsequently microfabricated and space qualified by the Quebec-based company INO.
July 8, 2011
End of the Shuttle Program Final Flight of Atlantis
Canada's Contribution
The final flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis took place on July8, 2011, at 11:26a.m. (EDT). This was the last mission of the Space Shuttle program.
Atlantis carried equipment for a joint NASA-CSA robotic refueling test. The Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) is an external ISS experiment that uses Dextre, a space robot, to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques engineers on Earth would need to robotically refuel satellites in space—even satellites not designed to be serviced. The test took place approximately six months after STS-135.
Canadian content aboard Atlantis:
Technology
The TriDAR technology was further tested on board the Space Shuttle. The Triangulation and LIDAR Automated Rendezvous and Docking system provides critical guidance information that can be used to position a vehicle during rendezvous and docking operations. Unlike current technologies, TriDAR does not rely on any reference markers, such as reflectors, positioned on the target spacecraft. It counts on a laser-based 3D sensor and a thermal imager. The TriDAR technology is developed by Neptec Design group with funding from the CSA and NASA.
Science
The last Canadian science experiment for the Space Shuttle, Hypersole, was designed to determine changes in human skin sensitivity before and after spaceflight, and whether these changes are related to balance control.
Data from Hypersole is expected to make a significant contribution to existing studies of the aging process and reductions in information relayed by skin sensors that lead to a loss of balance control and, among the elderly especially, a greater incidence of falls. The data will also provide knowledge that benefits astronauts as they perform their flight and post-flight duties.
Education
STS-135 carried tomato seeds as part of the Tomatosphere project. The seeds, sealed in a plastic bag, will be left on the ISS for up to 36 months in order to be exposed to the on-orbit environment. The tomato seeds will then be brought back to Earth and distributed to participating classrooms so that students can plant them and observe their germination rates.
This project has reached 83,285classrooms, or approximately 2,040,000Canadian students, since the seeds were first distributed in 2001.
Fast Facts
This flight marked the Canadarm's 90th mission since it first flew on Shuttle Columbia on STS-2, in 1981.
Canadian astronauts have flown 14times on the Space Shuttle.
ChrisHadfield and SteveMacLean are the only CSA astronauts that have flown on Shuttle Atlantis.
August 18, 2011
RADARSAT-2 data contributes to a new understanding of Antarctic terrain
Imagery acquired from the Canadian satellite RADARSAT-2 has enabled the landmark discoveries announced by University of California (UCI) researchers on August18, 2011.
Previously unmapped glaciers of Antarctica have been charted by accessing imagery collected from Canadian, European and Japanese satellites. Using NASA technology, the researchers have discovered unique terrain features that indicate the direction and velocity of ice in Antarctica. This provides invaluable insight into ice melt and future sea rise due to climate change.
The full continental coverage of Antarctica was made possible due to the unique capabilities of RADARSAT-2 to image left and capture data and information over the central part of the continent. This capability allowed the capture of data over the full land mass, from South Pole to coast, imagery that is at the heart of the discovery made by the UCI researchers.
This endeavour was coordinated by the International Polar Year (IPY) Space Task Group and was only possible through the collective effort of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission Coordination Group. International contributors include the CSA, NASA, the ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
September 8, 2011
Two New Canadian Astronauts Certified
The CSA announced on September8, 2011 that its two new astronauts, JeremyHansen and DavidSaint-Jacques, had successfully completed their two-year basic training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
September 15, 2011
CSA astronaut DavidSaint-Jacques Participates in NASA Undersea Mission
The CSA announced that CSA astronaut DavidSaint-Jacques had been assigned to his first mission. He took part in NEEMO15 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations), in which he tested exploration concepts in an undersea environment off the Florida coast. The mission began October17, 2011.
NEEMO15 is the first undersea mission to simulate a visit to an asteroid. Challenges relevant to exploring a gravity-weak asteroid will be undertaken, including how to anchor to the surface, how to move around and how best to collect data. The simulated exploration activities were coordinated with the "DeepWorker" submersibles and techniques were evaluated. The "DeepWorker" submersibles--one-seater submarines that act as underwater analogues for the Space Exploration Vehicle--were built and developed by Nuytco in British Columbia, Canada.
November 12, 2011
Canadarm Turns 30: CSA Salutes Three Decades of Industry Innovation
Canadarm, Canada's national icon of technological innovation, was launched on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2) on November12, 1981. Designed to deploy and retrieve space payloads, the robotic arm quickly became a critical element in the Space Shuttle Program. It worked flawlessly for 90Shuttle missions, spending a total of 944days in space and travelling the equivalent of over 624millionkm.
Some of the Canadarm's most famous achievements include retrieving the Hubble Space Telescope for repairmissions (1993-2009), connecting the two first modules of the ISS, in 1998 and inspecting the Shuttle's heat shield to ensure its safe return to Earth. The design and construction of the Canadarm marked the beginning of Canada's close collaboration with NASA in human space flight, leading to the creation of Canada's corps of astronauts.
While the Canadarm was retired after the Space Shuttle's final flight in July 2011, the arm's legacy lives on through the suite of Canadian robots on board the ISS, as well as the innovations in robotic prototyping being done under the Next-Generation Canadarm Program. The Canadarm has also inspired several generations of scientists and engineers to develop new technologies for industry, medicine, and other applications, such as neuroArm, an ultra precise robot for neurosurgery.
November 26, 2011
The Maple Leaf Returns to Mars: Canadian science instrument launches on board NASA's Mars Science Laboratory
The CSA is Mars bound once again with the launch of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:02 a.m. Eastern. Estimated Arrival on Mars: August6, 2012. The mission carries a Canadian science instrument known as the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), which will probe the chemistry of rocks and soils on Mars to help determine if the Red Planet ever was, or could still be today, an environment able to support microbial life.
The size of a small car, MSL's rover—named Curiosity—is a mobile geology lab equipped with the largest, most advanced suite of science instruments ever to land on Mars. Curiosity will analyze samples on site to determine whether Mars was ever a habitable planet, characterize the climate and geology of Mars, and pave the way for human exploration. APXS is one of 10science instruments on Curiosity. It will determine the chemical composition of Martian rocks and soil samples to establish their geological history, identify possible alterations by water and perform sample triage for the on-board laboratory instruments. It will be used regularly throughout the mission, which is planned to last one full Martian year (687Earth days).
