In 1984, Marc Garneau became Canadas first astronaut and a national hero. Since then, seven of his fellow citizens have followed in his footsteps, many more than once. This book was written as a twenty-fifth anniversary tribute to these brave men and women who defied tremendous odds, risked their lives, and soared from Earth on sheets of flame.

On 5 October 1984, Marc Garneau became Canada's first astronaut when he rocketed into space from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In doing so, Garneau became a national hero. Seven of his fellow citizens followed in his footsteps, many more than once. Julie Payette, a young mother and adventurer from Montreal was the first Canadian woman to visit the International Space Station. Chris Hadfield, a former fighter pilot from Ontario, was the first Canadian to do a spacewalk, while Saskatchewan-born Doctor Dave Williams performed surgery on test animals while his shuttle sped around the globe. This book was written as a 25th anniversary tribute to these brave men and women who defied tremendous odds, risked their lives, and soared from earth on sheets of flame. By leaving the only planet known to be habitable, they became true explorers in an ever-expanding universe we will never completely know.

With interviews from Chris Hadfield and Marc Garneau, the tale of Canada’s involvement in international space exploration from the 1960s to the present day Canada is a small but mighty power in space exploration. After providing the Canadarm robotic arm for the space shuttle in 1981, Canada received an invitation to start an astronaut program — a program that quickly let its people accumulate skill and prestige. Canadian astronauts have since commanded the International Space Station, flown as co-pilots on spacecraft, and even held senior roles within NASA. This book traces how Canada grew from small beginnings into a major player in international space policy. You will hear about Canada’s space program from the words of its astronauts, from Canadian celebrity Chris Hadfield to Liberal cabinet minister Marc Garneau to Governor General Julie Payette. You will experience the excitement and challenges of reporting on a rocket launch in Kazakhstan, as Canada sent its latest astronaut to space in preparation for possible moon missions in the 2020s. And you will learn from the people who work behind the scenes on Canadian space technology and space policy about why we are doing this — and what we plan to do next.

Canada’s space efforts from its origins towards the end of the Second World War through to its participation in the ISS today are revealed in full in this complete and carefully researched history. Employing recently declassified archives and many never previously used sources, author Andrew B. Godefroy explains the history of the program through its policy and many fascinating projects. He assesses its effectiveness as a major partner in both US and international space programs, examines its current national priorities and capabilities, and outlines the country’s plans for the future. Despite being the third nation to launch a satellite into space after the Soviet Union and the United States; being a major partner in the US space shuttle program with the iconic Canadarm; being an international leader in the development of space robotics; and acting as one of the five major partners in the ISS, the Canadian Space Program remains one of the least well-known national efforts of the space age. This book attempts to shed a clearer light on the progress made by the CSA thus far, with more ambitious goals ahead. Technical information, diagrams, glossaries, a chronology, and extensive notes on sources are also included in this volume.

Canadians have always had a pioneering spirit. We've explored our country and our planet, and now we're exploring space. Read more about Canada's amazing contributions to space research and discovery: - The development of the Canadarm and Canadarm2, essential tools for the space shuttle program - The Alouette I ionospheric research satellite, the first satellite ever built outside of the US and USSR to make it into orbit - James Chamberlin and Owen Maynard, who went from the collapse of Avro to engineering key components for NASA's Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs - The birth of Canada's commercial satellite industry with the Canadian launch of the world's first communications satellite - Robotic technology developed in Canada that helped the shuttle program return to flight in 2005 - Dr. Gerry Bull, the Canadian defence scientist who spearheaded the High Altitude Research Project which studied the use of cannons to launch satellites in the 1960s - Ionospheric research by Canadian scientists to help improve radio communications in the far north - Julie Payette and Chris Hadfield's part in the construction and research work on the International Space Station - Marc Garneau, the head of Canada's space program, who is setting his sights on Canadian technology and a mission to Mars. And more...

A captivating and inspiring memoir by Canada's first man in space. On October 5th, 1984, Marc Garneau made history. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle and reaching a speed of 28,000 km/hour, he became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. That monumental achievement, now etched in Canadian history as one of our country’s proudest moments, inspired a nation and ushered in a new era of space exploration for Canada. Twenty-four years later, Garneau made history yet again, becoming the first astronaut to be elected as a Member of Parliament. In between those two milestones in Garneau’s unprecedented career, he was the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to serve as CAPCOM, the voice of Mission Control for the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle. In the years that followed his historic first voyage to space, Garneau returned to space two more times, becoming the first Canadian to log three trips into orbit, and led the Canadian Space Agency through its most dynamic years. In the House of Commons, Garneau would ultimately serve in two cabinet posts as Minister of Transport and Minister of Foreign Affairs during some of the biggest events of the past decade: the onset of one of the worst pandemics in modern times; the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by China; the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban; and the death of 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents aboard Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752, shot down by Iran. It was no surprise, then, that when Marc Garneau announced his retirement after fourteen years in government, many Canadians lamented the loss of an upstanding parliamentarian who was not afraid to speak up for causes he believed in, even if that meant bucking his own party and its leader. In A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream, Garneau chronicles his once-improbable ascent from a mischievous teenager and rebellious naval midshipman to a decorated astronaut and statesman who represented Canada on the world stage – both on and off the planet. With candour and humour, Garneau describes the highs and lows of his life and career, including the awe he experienced first seeing the earth from space, the tragic loss of his first wife to mental illness and suicide, sailing across the Atlantic and back in a sailboat called "the Pickle," and witnessing the tragedy of the doomed shuttle Challenger. Honest and illuminating, A Most Extraordinary Ride is a rare journey into the early years of Canada’s space program and an inside account of the joys and challenges of governing from one of Canada’s most distinguished citizens.

International space science began suddenly with the creation of COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) in October, 1958, and its first plenary meeting was held in London, in November the same year. Canada was at the table for both the creation and the first plenary meeting. This book describes the parallel growth of the Canadian space science program from that date up to the 50th Anniversary of COSPAR, to be celebrated in Montreal in July 2008. This work relates the history of ground-based activity that placed Canada at the forefront of nations with knowledge of space in 1958, gained primarily through observations of the aurora borealis by optical and radar methods. By the time of the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58, Canada was well established in this research and had built its own rocket payloads. During the sixties this activity increased tenfold with the inception of the Alouette/ISIS satellite missions in 1962, and a vigorous rocket program conducted at Fort Churchill and elsewhere. After the last Defence Research Board satellite, ISIS-11, was launched in 1971 the program changed direction; the National Research Council maintained the rocket program at a lower level and space opened up for Canadian instruments on international spacecraft leading to some highly successful missions. Long overdue, the Canadian Space Agency was established in 1989 and is now leading a more mature program including Canada's first scientific mission since ISIS-11 (SCISAT-1), the Earth-observing Radarsat-1 and a strong astronaut program. The final achievement of the fifty years is a Canadian-built lidar that is part of the NASA Phoenix mission and is on its way to Mars, destined to land there in May 2008.