Tag Archive for 'CSA'

Heads of the Five Space Agencies Meet; Is Bloody ISS Turf War Finally Over?

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on July 18, 2008
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Guy Bujold, Canadian Space Agency president; Jean-Jacques Dordain, European Space Agency director-general; NASA Administrator Michael Griffin; Anatolii N. Perminov, Russian Federal Space Agency head; and Keiji Tachikawa, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency president. Credit: ESA/S. Corvaja

The Heads of the Five Families Space Agencies met in Paris this week to discuss ending the Mob war, dividing up the narcotics trade, and bringing Michael Corleone back from Sicily the future of the International Space Station.

Among other things, the meeting produced this statement supporting their own efforts on - of all things - the International Space Station, which they have spent the last 20 years building.

Heads of Agency International Space Station Joint Statement

PARIS — The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met at European Space Agency (ESA) Headquarters in Paris on July 17, 2008, to review ISS cooperation. As part of their discussions, they noted the significantly expanded capability that the ISS now provides for on-orbit research and technology development activities and as an engineering test bed for flight systems and operations that are critical to future space exploration initiatives. These activities improve the quality of life on Earth by expanding the frontiers of human knowledge.

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Astronaut Selection Proceeds in U.S., Canada

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on June 20, 2008
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National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign Closes in One Week
CSA Press Release

The Canadian Space Agency reminds Canadians that the National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign closes on June 26, 2008, with only one week remaining for candidates to apply to be considered for the Canadian Astronaut Corps.

By May 2009, two candidates taken from this process will be selected and begin their training to represent Canada in future space exploration missions, including long-duration spaceflights on the International Space Station. Among their tasks, astronauts will help assemble and maintain the Station and conduct scientific and industrial research enhancing the quality of life on Earth.

“The National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Steve MacLean, CSA Chief Astronaut. “Anyone who is interested and who meets the minimum qualifications is strongly encouraged to apply. The CSA will conduct a thorough review to select the best candidates, and we hope to have the broadest possible pool of applicants.”

Since the Campaign launched on May 22, approximately 4,000 applications have been submitted. Approximately 20 % of all applicants to date are women.

U.S. Air Force Nominates 114 for Astronaut Program
USAF Press Release

The Air Force Astronaut Nomination Board has forwarded 114 nominations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for consideration in the pilot and mission specialist categories. The board was held May 13 to 15 and the medical screening panel was held May 20 to 22. More than 200 noninees were considered. 

Forty-eight names were forwarded in the astronaut pilot category while 66 names were forwarded in the mission specialist category. Candidates from that pre-selection are then evaluated by NASA, with the highest-qualified individuals invited to Johnson Space Center, Houston, for interviews this fall.

Airmen selected by NASA will be detailed to the JSC astronaut office for a one-year candidacy program. They will enter the basic astronaut training program, contributing to the design, development and testing of the Ares launch and the Orion crew exploration vehicles. In addition, they will participate in planning for future human operations on the moon.

The Air Force nominees will compete with those nominated by the other services and civilian applicants. NASA selections are expected to be announced to the services in May 2009.

MDA Sale Rejected; Company Gets Contract Renewal

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on May 11, 2008
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The Canadian government has reaffirmed its rejection of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates plans to sell its space division to American defense contractor Alliant Technosystems (ATK).

Ottawa rejected the $1.3 billion sale last month as not being of net benefit to Canada. MDA had 30 days to convince Industry Minister Jim Prentice to reverse the decision. That period expired on Thursday.

Prentice did announce a four-year, $109-million contract between the Canadian Space Agency and MDA. However, company officials said this was merely a renewal of a long-standing contract that did nothing to provide direction to a drifting Canadian space program, the Vancouver Sun reported.

“The space file in Canada has been neglected for quite a while,” said Mag Iskander, MDA’s executive vice-president for information systems. “In real terms, government expenditures in this space have been declining. We are hoping with this new resurgence of interest by the minister and the government they will engage in a serious long-term space plan, similar to what we had in the past.

“I am not talking about handouts. I’m talking about contracts that meet the needs of Canadians,” Iskander said.

Japan, Canada Seek New Astronauts; Canadian Pundit Wonders Why

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on April 1, 2008
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With the first part of its Kibo module attached to the International Space Station, the Japanese space agency has decided to recruit 3 new members to its existing roster of 8 astronauts, Reuters reports.

“We hope to have more applicants this time than we did last time,” said Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency official Takahiro Abe. “Japanese will have opportunities to work for long periods at the International Space Station.”

Earlier this week, the Canadian Space Agency announced it will recruit additional astronauts. In the Ottawa Sun, columnist Greg Weston finds it sad that his country is recruiting new astronauts at a time when its top aerospace company, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, is selling its space division to an American defense contractor.

The Conservative government of Stephen Harper has until April 21 to decide on whether to approve or block the sale. MDA built Canada’s most famous contributions to human spaceflight, the two Canadarms and the Dextre robot.

Canadian Space Agency to Recruit New Astronauts

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on March 31, 2008
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CSA PRESS RELEASE

Longueuil, Quebec, March 31, 2008 – The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry Canada and the Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), announced at the Agency headquarters today that the CSA will begin a national astronaut recruitment campaign at the end of May 2008, to select astronauts to join its Canadian Astronaut Corps.

“Canadians are inspired when they see our astronauts in space, and they will be proud to learn that even more Canadian astronauts are about to be recruited,” said Minister Prentice. “I am pleased to join the Canadian Space Agency to announce this new national astronaut recruitment campaign. By May 2009, two astronaut candidates will be selected and will begin their training to represent Canada in future space exploration missions.”

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Canadians thrilled as Dextre rockets off to ISS

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on March 11, 2008
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The Montreal Gazette has a story about the Canadian Space Agency’s Dextre robot, which was launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Tuesday. The robot will be attached to the International Space Station, where it will do maintenance work currently done by space walking astronauts.

“We’re pretty excited by how things are progressing so far,” said CSA’s Andrew Keenan. “We’ve got a successful launch, everything looks great. And we’re just looking forward to talking to Dextre for the first time.”

Other stories about Dextre can be found below:

New York Times: A Space Robot With Arms to Make R2D2 Jealous

CTV: Canadian space robot ‘Dextre’ a high-tech marvel

CBS/Spaceflight Now: Canadian robot, Japanese module headed for station

Is Dextre the last hurrah for the Canadian space program?

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on March 9, 2008
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Even as the Canadian space officials look forward to the launch of their robot Dextre to the International Space Station this week, they are facing a range of challenges to their future, the National Post reports.

The Canadian Space Agency’s budget has been frozen for the last decade and political leaders have not given the agency a firm commitment to participate in the American human lunar and Mars program, the newspaper says. CSA’s president, Laurier Boisvert, resigned in December after only nine months on the job.

Boisvert’s resignation was apparently spurred, in part, by the planned sale of the space technology division of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. to an American military contractor. The company built the country’s most visible contribution to human spaceflight, Canadarm, as well as the Dextre robot, which is set for launch this week aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Ben Quine, a professor at York University’s Earth and Space Engineering department, said Canada’s future direction is uncertain. “Canadarm was a great Canadian success story,” he told the paper. “But to some extent, we’ve lost our way in the space industry in this country … I think we’ve got to be really careful about our direction in the future. We need a viable space industry and a vibrant research and development sector.”