WATCH ABOVE: Over 3000 members of the space and technology sectors converged in Toronto to celebrate space exploration and showcase the latest victories in the final frontier. Peter Kim reports.
Toronto has become the centre of the universe for the international space community as industry pioneers converged on the city for the 65th International Astronautical Congress.
The gathering of some of the smartest minds on the planet features technical sessions, meetings and lectures celebrating the latest accomplishments and future plans with respect to taming, or at least better understanding, the “final frontier.”
Over three thousand members, including academics, researchers, government officials and industry executives are attending the event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Science educator, Bill Nye, popularly known as “Bill Nye The Science Guy,” offered his celebrity profile to the opening day’s discussions and says advancements in space exploration have allowed for conveniences that have become key to modern life.
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“We all want global positioning, we all want the maps on our phones to work perfectly. We have the Internet. All of that would not exist without space and space exploration,” said Nye.
The event underscores how the goal in understanding and penetrating the unkowns of space cannot be done by one country alone.
“The Americans, Canadians, Japanese and Europeans, we all fly together with the Russians. The only way to space at the moment is with a (Russian) Soyuz rocket,” said Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
For that reason, three-year basic training for Canadian astronauts includes learning Russian to be able to communicate with fellow crew members.
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Exhibitors from all across the globe unveiled a broad range of modern technology: South Korea was showcasing their latest generation of satellites. The country has launched ten into orbit so far.
“KOMPSAT-3 is a high-resolution, multi-purpose satellite. With its information we can monitor agriculture and natural disasters,” said Joon-Min Choi Korean, representative from the Korean Aerospace Research Institute.
Canada also had much to brag about at the event – specifically in the field of space robotics.
The event runs until Oct. 2.
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