John Melady - Canadians in Space: The Forever Frontier

CANADIANS
IN SPACE

OTHER BOOKS BY JOHN MELADY

Acts of Courage
Cross of Valour
Explosion
Escape from Canada!
Heartbreak and Heroism
Korea: Canadas Forgotten War
The Little Princes
Overtime Overdue:The Bill Barilko Story
Pilots
Search and Rescue
Star of Courage
Double Trap
Pearsons Prize

CANADIANS
IN SPACE

The Forever Frontier

JOHN MELADY

Foreword by Henry Champ

Copyright John Melady, 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Project Editor: Michael
Carroll Copy Editor: Cheryl Hawley
Designer: Jennifer Scott
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Melady, John
Canadians in space : the forever frontier / by John Melady.

ISBN 978-1-55002-940-6

1. Astronauts--Canada--Biography. 2. Outer space--Exploration--Canada--History. I. Title.

TL789.8.C3M45 2009 629.450092 C2009-901987-63

1 2 3 4 5 13 12 11 10 09

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the BookPublishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario MediaDevelopment Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

Printed and bound in Canada.

www.dundurn.com

For Maureen Paulhus,
with admiration and thanks
from your old godfather.

Canadians Who Have Been in Space

Roberta Bondar: Born December 4, 1945, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Mission Date: STS-42, space shuttle Discovery, January 2230, 1992.

Marc Garneau: Born February 23, 1949, Quebec City, Quebec. Mission Dates: STS-41-G, space shuttle Challenger, October 513, 1984; STS-77, space shuttle Endeavour, May 1929, 1996; STS-97, space shuttle Endeavour, November 30 to December 11, 2000.

Chris Hadfield: Born August 29, 1959, Sarnia, Ontario. Mission Dates: STS-74, space shuttle Atlantis, November 1220, 1995; STS-100, space shuttle Endeavour, April 19 to May 1, 2001.

Steve MacLean: Born December 14, 1954, Ottawa, Ontario. Mission Dates: STS-52, space shuttle Columbia, October 22 to November 1, 1992; STS-115, space shuttle Atlantis, September 921, 2006.

Julie Payette: Born October 20, 1963, Montreal, Quebec. Mission Dates: STS-96, space shuttle Discovery, May 27 to June 6, 1999; STS-127, space shuttle Endeavour, July 1531, 2009.

Robert Thirsk: Born August 17, 1953, New Westminster, British Columbia. Mission Dates: STS-78, space shuttle Columbia, June 20 to July 7, 1996; Expedition 20/21, Soyuz TMA-15, May 27 to November 2009.

Bjarni Tryggvason: Born September 21, 1945, Reykjavik, Iceland. Mission Date: STS-85, space shuttle Discovery, August 719, 1997.

Dave Williams: Born May 16, 1954, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Mission Dates: STS-90, space shuttle Columbia, April 17 to May 3, 1998; STS-118, space shuttle Endeavour, August 821, 2007.

CONTENTS

by Henry Champ

Acknowledgements

18 The Forever Frontier

T his book is a delight and a must-read for those millions of Canadians, and millions is the right number, who take pride in Canadas contributions in outer space.

A big part of John Meladys effort centres on the Canadian Astronaut Corps, bringing both a sharp image of who they are at work, and who they are privately. Why they commit many years of their lives to what is clearly a great adventure, but in reality is such a short time space.

Meladys narrative fills two other very important gaps: a brief but necessary review of the history of space exploration, and the work of early Canadians who saw the stars and wanted to know more all the while dreaming of what could be.

There is much about the technology that Canadian industries have made: the Canadarm, which has led Canada to a world-lead in robotics; Canadas gains with space cameras and imaging. Things that often go unnoticed by those of us who are mesmerized by the flight itself, the majestic takeoffs and the tranquil landings.

There are also descriptions of failures, missed opportunities, and concerns for the future. In short, this book serves as a dictionary, an encyclopedia, and the bible of Canadians in Space.

On a personal note, I have had the opportunity to cover space exploration since the sixties, when I would cover the overnight and very early morning broadcasts on Gemini and Apollo missions, sitting in for Harvey Kirck, who was CTVs space guru. Fortunately, I was involved at both NBC and CBC covering launches, in-space events, and landings. I, like everyone else who witnesses a liftoff, can never cease marvelling at these events.

Ive met John at the Cape. I admire his tenacity and professionalism, in short, the way he does his work. This book is a tribute to his craft and a boon for his readers.

HENRY CHAMP
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
CBC NEWSWORLD
WASHINGTON, D.C.

T he research and writing of this book took three years, but it seemed like five. At times, in fact, I wondered if there ever would be an end in sight. There were several reasons for this, almost all of them beyond my control. First of all, I did not feel I could do the book without interviewing the brave men and women who are our astronauts. Despite the fact that they have received much media attention over the years, a quick perusal of a few newspaper stories is not the same as meeting face to face. Fortunately, in large measure, I was able to do so.

I also knew that I needed to spend time at the Canadian Space Agency in Montreal, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. I went to all and because I was determined to observe at least one shuttle launch, I ended up going to Kennedy four times: twice during specific research trips for this book, and a couple of times before that. At long last, the weather, the mechanical factors, and the scores of other problems that delay launches were not present. I finally saw a shuttle fly.