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HOUSTON -- Blasting off in a shuttle bound for outer space, there is just no time for the fear factor.
You know the risk, train meticulously, then get busy.
"Fear is an emotion you tend to have when you're not doing anything," Canadian astronaut Dave Williams said in an interview with Sun Media. "When you're busy -- and of course during a space mission we're always busy doing different things -- it tends to take your mind away from any concerns about risk. You're too focused on doing the task at hand that you don't have time to sit back and think about possible danger and risk."
SUSPENDED IN ORBIT
Williams, a Montrealer who was born in Saskatoon, will leave Earth August 9 on Mission STS-118. During the two-week trip to the International Space Station, he will spend almost 20 hours suspended outside the station in orbit.
A self-described "explorer" who has lived underwater as well as in outer space, Williams said he does not feel like an intruder when he ventures off the surface of Earth.
"There is this sense of belonging there," he said. "There is a sense we are reaching out, taking footsteps off the planet Earth. Right now going to low-Earth orbit is the first in a stepping stone back to the moon and on to Mars, and yes, I think we belong. That is something we as the human species are destined to do."
Williams first dreamed of becoming an astronaut when he was 7 years old, and he still gets the "wow factor" when he drives to work at the Johnson Space Center. He is eager for the day when he will watch the landing of a manned mission to Mars, and takes pride that he helped lay the groundwork for the "amazing journey."
As the human race grapples with a climate change crisis, Williams said we must be respectful in how we explore other planets, and conscious about the footprint we leave behind. But he said a crisis on Earth could prompt Earthlings to adapt to a world beyond.
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
"If there were a territorial imperative, some potential catastrophe we could face here on Earth, I think the human species is fairly resilient and we would look for ways to accelerate our exploration of space to be able to extend outwards," he said. "For now, we face a number of challenges globally here on Earth and I think it's very important that we address those challenges as we continue space exploration."
Williams will perform three spacewalks on his upcoming mission, performing construction and maintenance work from the tip of the Canadarm2 mobile servicing system. He said moving in zero gravity will be a bit like "dancing in a gigantic suit," but in reality he'll be using his fingertips, not his feet.
"That's the irony of the spacewalk, that we don't actually walk at all. We're using our arms to move around," he said. "We have to do that -- we're very, very light forces out there even though we weigh so much."
As Williams prepares to lift off in August, part of his training regime takes place at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. The giant pool, about the size of five Olympic-sized facilities, simulates microgravity. Astronauts put on pressurized suits weighing 250 pounds a piece to practise their delicate manoeuvres in the water.
And after years of training, when Williams and crew lift off this summer their every move will be monitored by Mission Control, NASA's nerve centre and line of communications between Earth and space. NASA flight director Sally Davis admits the job comes with long hours and a fair share of tense moments.
"You're responsible for the lives of national and international heroes, and multi-billion-dollar, non-replaceable space assets. That in itself gives you a lot of stress, but it makes you want to do your job correctly every time."