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Canadian Space Agency President Marc Garneau speaks to a U of S audience in Place Riel Theatre Jan. 24. |
The space shuttle Columbia, shown launching from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carried a U of S experiment studying protein crystal growth in space. Photo courtesy of NASA |
Just eight days before the latest blow to the U.S. space program, Canada's top space officials spent the day at the U of S, meeting with faculty and administrators on the University's space-related scientific work.
Canadian Space Agency President Marc Garneau and four CSA science and communications officials spent Jan. 24 meeting with President Peter MacKinnon, Acting Provost & Vice-President Academic Ken Coates, Acting Vice-President Research Bryan Harvey, Vice-President Finance & Resources Tony Whitworth, Institute of Space & Atmospheric Studies (ISAS) chair Alan Manson, Associate Dean of Engineering Kamiel Gabriel, and other U of S faculty and researchers.
Garneau, Canada's first astronaut with shuttle trips in 1984, 1996 and 2000, toured the College of Engineering, including Gabriel's Centre for Microgravity Research, and the Physics Department-based ISAS, with its SuperDARN project using radar to analyse space weather and its recent OSIRIS satellite project.
Garneau also gave a public lecture in Place Riel Theatre, noting the 40th anniversary of Canada's Alouette satellite and applauding the U of S's continuing role "at the forefront" of Canada's space science efforts. He noted a number of U of S experiments which have already been done in space or are planned, including Biochemistry Dept. Head Louis Delbaere's protein crystal growth study, which was aboard the Columbia space shuttle.
Delbaere's experiment was lost when the shuttle broke up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere Feb. 1.
Garneau told reporters the accident will likely mean delays in ongoing construction of the International Space Station and planned May and November shuttle flights by Canadian astronauts.
Garneau knew the Columbia astronauts. Ironically there was concern during his 1984 flight aboard the shuttle Challenger when some heat-protective tiles fell off.
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