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 European Space Agency, and includes contributions from the Canadian Space Agency ( 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 Canadian Space Agency 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: Canadian Space Agency Celebrates a Decade of Success April 19, 2011 marked the tenth anniversary of Canadarm2, a 17-metre long robotic arm essential to the International Space Station's construction and operations. Canadarm2 was launched to the International Space Station ( ISS ) on April 19, 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 100 spacewalks. 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 Canadian Space Agency ( 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 Scott Parazynski. In 2006, Steve MacLean became the first Canadian ever to operate Canadarm2 in space. CSA astronauts Julie Payette and Robert Thirsk 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 Canadian Space Agency's headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. Canadarm2's role on the International Space Station 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 7 months.

May 13, 2011

Henry Buijs Receives Canadian Space Award On May 13, 2011, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the Canadian Space Program, Dr. Henry Buijs was presented with the prestigious John H. Chapman Award of Excellence at the Canadian Space Agency's annual celebration, in the company of representatives from industry, academia, and government as well as former and current Canadian Astronauts. About the John H. Chapman Award of Excellence Established in 2000 and presented by the Canadian Space Agency 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 John H. Chapman Award of Excellence is selected by a committee chaired by the Agency's President. With this award, the Canadian Space Agency honours John H. Chapman's foresight and his lifetime of dedication to space innovation, ingenuity, and excellence. Past recipients include: David A. Golden, Peter C. Hughes, Allan I. Carswell, John D. MacNaughton, Larry Clarke, Gordon G. Shepherd, Colin A. Franklin, Val O'Donovan, and John S. 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 Delta II rocket on June 10, 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 Canadian Space Agency ( 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 July 8, 2011, at 11:26 a.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 International Space Station ( 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 International Space Station 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 83,285 classrooms, or approximately 2,040,000 Canadian 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 14 times on the Space Shuttle. Chris Hadfield and Steve MacLean are the only Canadian Space Agency 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 August 18, 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 European Space Agency and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.

September 8, 2011

Two New Canadian Astronauts Certified The Canadian Space Agency ( CSA ) announced on September 8, 2011 that its two new astronauts, Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques, had successfully completed their two-year basic training at NASA 's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

September 15, 2011

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut David Saint-Jacques Participates in NASA Undersea Mission The Canadian Space Agency ( CSA ) announced that Canadian Space Agency Astronaut David Saint-Jacques had been assigned to his first mission. He took part in NEEMO 15 ( NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations), in which he tested exploration concepts in an undersea environment off the Florida coast. The mission began October 17, 2011. NEEMO 15 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 13, 2011

Canadarm Turns 30: Canadian Space Agency Salutes Three Decades of Industry Innovation Canadarm, Canada's national icon of technological innovation, made its space debut on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2) on November 13, 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 90 Shuttle missions, spending a total of 944 days in space and travelling the equivalent of over 624 million km . Some of the Canadarm's most famous achievements include retrieving the Hubble Space Telescope for repair missions (1993-2009), connecting the two first modules of the International Space Station ( 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.