Chapter 15, Annex A ASTRONAUT MARC GARNEAU
ASTRONAUT MARC GARNEAU
Marc Garneau was a Captain (Navy) in the Canadian Forces and was Canada’s first astronaut.
MISSIONS
A veteran of three space flights (STS-41G in 1984, STS-77 in 1996 and STS-97 in 2000), Marc Garneau has logged over 677 hours in space.
STS-41G
Mission: Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS).
Space Shuttle: Challenger.
Launched: October 5, 1984 at 7:03:00 a.m. EDT.
Landed: October 13, 1984 at 12:26:33 p.m. EDT.
Mission Duration: 8 days.
Orbit Altitude: 218 nautical miles.
This was the first flight to include two women, Sally Ride and Kathryn Sullivan. Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in space. The ERBS was deployed less than nine hours into the flight. As well, the Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-3 (OSTA-3) carried three experiments in the payload bay. Components of Orbital Refueling System (ORS) were connected, demonstrating it is possible to refuel satellites in orbit.
Other payloads were:
Large Format Camera (LFC),
IMAX Camera, flying for the third time, and
Canadian Experiments (CANEX), including:
Auroral Photography Experiment (APE),
Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME), and
Thermoluminiscent Dosimeter (TLD).
STS-77
Mission: SPACEHAB; SPARTAN Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE).
Space Shuttle: Endeavour.
Launched: May 19, 1996, 6:30:00 a.m. EDT.
Landed: May 29, 1996, 7:09:18 a.m. EDT.
Mission Duration: 10 days.
Orbit Altitude: 153 nautical miles.
The fourth shuttle flight of 1996 was highlighted by four rendezvous activities with two different payloads. Primary payloads, all located in the cargo bay, were the SPACEHAB-4 pressurized research module, the IAE mounted on a Spartan 207 free-flyer and a suite of four technology demonstration experiments known as Technology Experiments for Advancing Missions in Space (TEAMS).
Using the Canadarm, the Spartan free-flyer (a platform for experiments) was deployed with the 60 kg (132 lbs) IAE antenna structure inflated to its full size of 15 m (50 feet) in diameter–about the size of a tennis court. Potential benefits of inflatable antennas over conventional rigid structures include their lower development costs, greater reliability, and lower mass and volume requiring less stowage space and potentially a smaller launch vehicle.
TEAMS experiments were:
Global Positioning System (GPS) Attitude and Navigation Experiment (GANE),
Vented Tank Resupply Experiment (VTRE), and
Liquid Metal Thermal Experiment (LMTE).
Aquatic Research Facility (ARF) experiments also took place. This was a joint Canadian Space Agency/NASA project that allowed investigation of a wide range of small aquatic species, including starfish, mussels and sea urchins.
STS-97
Mission: International Space Station Assembly Flight 4A.
Space Shuttle: Endeavour.
Launched: November 30, 2000, 10:06 p.m. EST.
Landed: December 11, 2000, 6:04 p.m. EST.
Mission Duration: 11 days.
Orbit Altitude: 200 nautical miles.
During their 11-day mission, the astronauts completed three spacewalks and extravehicular activities (EVAs), to:
deliver and connect the first set of solar arrays to the International Space Station (ISS);
prepare a docking port for arrival of the US Laboratory Destiny;
install Floating Potential Probes to measure electrical potential surrounding the station;
install a camera cable outside the Unity module; and
transfer supplies, equipment and refuse between Endeavour and the station.
On flight day three, Endeavour was linked to the ISS while orbiting 200 nautical miles above northeast Kazakhstan. Extravehicular mobility units (EMUs), the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) units, the Canadarm Remote Manipulator System (RMS), the Orbiter Space Vision System (OSVS) and the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) were all checked. Also, an ODS camera was installed.
From inside Endeavour, Mission Specialist Marc Garneau used the Canadarm RMS to remove the P6 truss from the payload bay, manoeuvring it into an overnight park position to warm its components. Shuttle astronauts moved through Endeavour’s docking tunnel and opened the hatch to the ISS docking port to leave supplies and computer hardware on the doorstep of the station. On flight day four, the crew entered the Unity module for the first time.
On flight day eight, the STS-97 crew paid the first visit to the Expedition One crew residing in the space station. Until then the shuttle and the station had kept one hatch closed to maintain respective atmospheric pressures, allowing the shuttle crew to conduct their spacewalks and mission goals. After a welcome ceremony and briefing, the eight spacefarers conducted structural tests of the station and its solar arrays, transferred equipment, supplies and refuse back and forth between the spacecraft.
On flight day nine, the two crews completed final transfers of supplies to the station and other items to be returned to earth. The Endeavour crew bade farewell to the Expedition One crew at 10:51 a.m. EST and closed the hatches between the spacecraft. After being docked together for 6 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes, Endeavour undocked from the station and made an hour-long, tail-first circle of the station. The undocking took place 204 nautical miles above the border of Kazakhstan and China. The final separation burn took place near the northeast coast of South America.
PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH
Born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City.
EDUCATION
Marc Garneau’s education includes:
Early education in Quebec City, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec and in London, England;
Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics from the Royal Military College of Kingston in 1970;
Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England, in 1973; and
Attended the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College of Toronto in 1982–1983.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Marc Garneau was a Combat Systems Engineer in HMCS Algonquin from 1974 to 1976. While serving as an instructor in naval weapon systems at the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Halifax in 1976–77, he designed a simulator for use in training weapons officers in the use of missile systems aboard Tribal class destroyers. He served as Project Engineer in naval weapon systems in Ottawa from 1977 to 1980. Garneau returned to Halifax with the Naval Engineering Unit, which troubleshoots and performs trials on ship-fitted equipment, and he helped develop an aircraft-towed target system for the scoring of naval gunnery accuracy. Promoted to Commander in 1982 while at Staff College, Garneau was transferred to Ottawa in 1983 to become design authority for naval communications and electronic warfare equipment and systems. In January 1986, he was promoted to Captain. Garneau retired from the Navy in 1989.
In February 2001, Marc Garneau was appointed Executive Vice President of the Canadian Space Agency. He was subsequently appointed President of the Canadian Space Agency, effective November 22, 2001. He resigned from this position on November 28, 2005, to run for office in a federal election.
SPECIAL HONOURS
Marc Garneau’s special honours include:
Athlone Fellowship,
National Research Council (NRC) Bursary,
National Honourary Patron of Hope Air and Project North Star,
President of the Board of the McGill Chamber Orchestra,
Officer of the Order of Canada,
promoted Companion of the Order of Canada,
named Chancellor of Carleton University,
recipient of the Prix Montfort en sciences,
recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal,
recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal,
recipient of the NASA Space Flight Medals (1984, 1996, 2000),
recipient of the Canadian Forces Decoration (military),
co-recipient of the F. W. (Casey) Baldwin Award,
awarded honourary advanced degrees from:
University of Ottawa,
Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean,
Université Laval,
Technical University of Nova Scotia,
Royal Military College,
York University, and
University of Lethbridge.
AFFILIATIONS
Marc Garneau’s affiliations include:
honorary Fellow of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute,
member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia,
member of the Navy League of Canada,
honorary Member of the Canadian Society of Aviation Medicine, and
member of the International Academy of Astronautics.
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