A tiny human speck suspended in a vast black universe, Steve MacLean peered down on his home planet Earth and marvelled at the breathtaking blue wonder.
"That whole kind of parallel experience of looking at the beauty of the Earth and having it stimulate memories of where you've been and stimulating feelings of where you think the Earth should go is really amazing," the Canadian astronaut recalls. "You go through every human emotion that's possible over a space of five weeks, and I've often thought if I could live every day of my life like that, it would be a pretty great life."
An Ottawa native and one of Canada's first six astronauts, MacLean is now helping chart a course for the future of the Canadian Space Agency. He believes Canada should play a key role in manned missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.
This week, Canada was among 14 countries that released a joint framework for space exploration. By carving out a critical niche in robotics and radar satellite technologies, MacLean says Canada is already considered a "third power" in the International Space Station along with the U.S. and Russia.
"We really are a player at the table even though what we're spending compared to the U.S. is very little," he says.
Internationally renowned for the Canadarm and RADARSAT, Canada can continue to create tools that are critical to the success and safety of a space mission while serving relevant purposes on Earth. Canada's space spending has been static at about $300 million a year -- a relatively small sum compared to our international partners. But MacLean says even that modest investment has resulted in practical applications with huge benefit to humans -- from detecting water wells in Africa to projecting crop yields in the Prairies.
"We have an Earth observation satellite that can tell you how fast our wheat is growing, and can tell us how fast wheat is growing around the world. Then we know what the economy for that wheat is going to be and know how to price it," he says.
Satellite technology developed for space has also emerged as a vital tool for understanding the impact of climate change and fending off potential threats to national sovereignty.
CSA strategy documents obtained by Sun Media under Access to Information show one of the key objectives for satellite strategy is to "support the maintenance of Canada's sovereignty and national security, including emergency response and the implementation of foreign policy." Surveillance data is collected and supplied to National Defence, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources Canada. And according to another strategy document on space-based Earth observation, the CSA provides "up-to-date, independent information and intelligence gathering to support Canadian security and sovereignty and determine and promote a more active international role for Canada in areas such as humanitarian and development assistance, treaty verification or peacekeeping duties.."
Hugues Gilbert, CSA's director of strategic development, stresses the agency's mandate is strictly the "peaceful" use and exploration of space. But he acknowledges the pressing issues of climate change and security have triggered a shift in some of the agency's focus.
"We are here to meet the needs of Canadians, so the needs years ago were more on the satellite communications side, and nowadays, for the space agency the most important issues are climate change, security, what's going on in the North," he says. "Those are very high-level government policy issues and being an agency of the government we're here to respond to the needs and to try as best we can to develop the means to address those issues. We are very much driven by the most important issues that are currently being faced by the government."
While the CSA does not directly engage in military activities, Gilbert says the agency co-operates with DND and other departments. In other priorities, the CSA works to advance the knowledge of space through science and technology, bringing Canadian citizens economic and social benefits along the way. Canada realized decades ago we would never have the budgetary means for solo exploration projects, so focused its resources on "niche" technologies and expertise.
"We don't do everything but we try to focus and do the best at what we do," Gilbert says.
That cutting-edge technology is now used to monitor our coastline, track the evolution of the ice sheet and measure the ozone layer with stunning precision. It helps manage natural resources and forests and finds the most promising areas for mining.
"All of that you can figure out with space assets, and given the issues that have come up in the past few years --climate change with the opening of the Northwest Passage, which brings up pretty serious sovereignty issues for Canada, you have several options if you want to monitor what's going on in the North. Using aircraft, but also using space technologies," Gilbert says.
MacLean strongly opposes using space as a military arena, but agrees CSA must maximize its potential as a government agency to help protect territorial of waters and Arctic sovereignty.
"It is a bit delicate to discuss that, but this is something that is very important for Canada to make sure they're on top of. It is in our national interests to protect natural resources that belong to Canada," he says. "That's not saying anything outrageous. As a country we need to make sure we understand our resources, we protect them and we use them wisely. That's a role the CSA can play, but that doesn't mean you're moving into the military arena."
Industry Minister Maxime Bernier says the details of mandate and priorities for the CSA are now the subject of a strategic review that is expected to be completed by the end of August. He said the Conservative government views the space program as a key for propelling innovative industry and securing our spot as key player in space exploration.
"Canada is a leader and is going to continue to be a leader in the future," he said.
University of Alberta Prof. Chris Herd warns that Canada must walk a fine line using the space program for defence purposes. But he believes Canada is on solid course for leveraging strong results from its small investment.
"Even with a modest budget we have a profile as a player," he says. "We're just a species that you can't stifle that urge to explore. That's the way it's always been, it's part of our nature. We want to find our more about our origins, our limits and we want to push those limits. The overarching goal of exploration is a good one, and it's good for society."
Tahir Merali, past president of the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, has aspired to be an astronaut since he was a five-year-old eagerly listening to a lecture by Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar. He believes Canada is at a "crossroads" in space, and says it,s no longer the stuff of "sci fi" to ponder the day when we tap other planets because of overpopulation or a lack of fresh water or air.
"It's a very long-term outlook, and in achieving that long-term outlook, there's a lot of benefits along the way," he said. "And if we ever colonize and civilize other planets or leave Earth, it is really important that we take these lessons with us."
But MacLean says the spectre of devastation on Earth must not be the only reason to explore the outer limits -- we must be driven by the quest to better understand other planets and better understand life on Earth. With a human mission to Mars slated for takeoff by 2025, he's convinced human habitation on another planet is inevitable within a couple of hundred years.
"We consider ourselves a one-planet society right now, and one day that will change. It will be a two-planet world," he says.
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TAKE A WALK
Canadian astronaut Dave Williams will walk in space this summer as a crew member on board the shuttle Endeavour when it launches on mission STS-118.
Williams will set a Canadian record by spending more than 19 hours outside the International Space Station, floating in the vacuum of space. During three scheduled spacewalks he will help install vital equipment, move pieces of hardware around the station and repair defective components.
Williams will become the third Canadian astronaut to spacewalk after Chris Hadfield and Steve MacLean.
This week, Sun Media will join Williams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas as he completes some of his final training exercises before the Aug. 9 launch.
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CANADIAN MILESTONES IN SPACE
1962 Canada becomes the third country in space, after Russia and the U.S., with the launch of science Alouette 1.
1969 U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 lands on the moon with Canadian-built landing gears.
1974 NASA awards Canada the responsibility of designing, developing, and building the shuttle remote manipulator system for the Space Shuttle. The result is Canadarm, the 15-m robotic arm that is launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.
1983 Canada's first six astronauts are selected: Roberta Bondar, Marc Garneau, Steve MacLean, Ken Money, Robert Thirsk and Bjarni Tryggvason.
1984 Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
1992 Roberta Bondar becomes the second Canadian and the first Canadian woman in space aboard Discovery.
1998 Canadian astronaut Dave Williams flies aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, performing 26 experiments studying the influence of microgravity on the nervous system. He is later named the first non-American director of NASA's space and life sciences directorate.
1999 Julie Payette is the first Canadian to set foot on the International Space Station.
2002 Canadarm 2's new work platform called the Mobile Base System becomes fully operational.
2007 Dave Williams is scheduled to launch Aug. 9 on mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, where he will perform three of the four mission spacewalks, working on the assembly and maintenance for a record 19 hours.
