On Thursday one of Canada’s most recognizable scientific contributions was given a permanent home at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The Canadarm debuted in space aboard the space shuttle Columbia on November 13, 1981. It flew on 90 flights, spending a total of 944 days in space and travelling approximately 624 million kilometres around the Earth. Once deployed, it became an essential tool for carrying out several missions including deploying satellites and even helping astronauts repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Its newest incarnation, Dextre, built the International Space Station.
On hand at today’s event in Ottawa were the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Acting President of the Space Agency Gilles Leclerc, and commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, via the Sky Monitor.
Seventeen years ago, Hadfield became the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm.
“It’s because of Canadarm that I can be in space now,” says Hadfield. “More than 30 years ago, when Canada contributed this magnificent, state-of-the-art technology to NASA, it opened the door for Canadian astronauts to exist.”
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