Teamwork is essential on Shuttle missions, Garneau tells students

Garneau, who was Canada's first astronaut to travel into space and who is also running for the Liberal Party in Westmount-Ville Marie, addressed students at Centennial Academy last Wednesday morning.

He explained how Canada's space program progressed during the 1980s as a result of engineers in this country who designed and built the Canadarm for the American space program. According to Garneau, what got Canada interested in space in the first place was the aurora borealis, more often called the northern lights.

Canadian scientists wanted to understand what caused this light show in the sky. They longed to put a satellite in orbit to observe from above. Canada was the third country to enter space — after the Soviet Union and the United States — with a satellite launched in the early 1960s known as Alouette 1.

"Team work is very critical," Garneau said, describing how the astronauts on his last space mission had lots of work and needed to do it together. "This is not a time to have any doubts about the rest of your crew. This is a time when you say 'we're all ready and we trust each other and we will not be looking over each other's shoulders.'"

Garneau, who has been on three Shuttle flights, remembers the night before his first launch, going to bed and hoping he would sleep well. "It felt a little bit like Christmas Eve when I was a young boy. I was so excited because the next day I was going to go into space. And also, you're a little bit worried, because you know that it can be dangerous going into space on the Space Shuttle.

"The three most powerful sensations you feel when you go into space are, first of all, the noise," he added. "Fortunately we're wearing a headset, because we have to be able to talk through all of this noise. The second thing is the vibration.

"You feel like you're being really shaken in your seat because of all of the energy that is being released. The third thing is what we call the acceleration or the G-forces, and that makes you feel heavy in your seat. You feel heavier and heavier as you go up in the sky."

Regarding the role of Canadarm 2, Garneau said it completes Canada's contribution to the International Space Station's construction. "The station can't be built without the Canadarm 2. And it is also essential during the lifetime of the station to help repair and maintain the International Space Station. So it's a very important role for Canada."

The ISS is slated to be completed in 2010.