I FLEW AS A CANADIAN ASTRONAUT ON THE
MISSION STS 42 SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY BACK
IN JANUARY OF 1992.
CURRENTLY MY ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF THE
FOUNDATION THAT BEARS MY NAME IS TO CONDUCT
SOME RESEARCH INTO THE MIGRATORY CORRIDOR,
HABITATS AND BEHAVIORS OF CERTAIN SPECIES
OF MIGRATORY BIRDS.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO UTILIZE PHOTOGRAPHY TO
PUT TOGETHER A COMPELLING REASON WHY PEOPLE NEED
TO PAY ATTENTION TO THESE VERY FRAGILE
ORGANISMS AND THEY'RE FRAGILE ENVIRONMENTS.
WE THINK THAT DOING IT AT THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS,
THE AERIAL SURFACE AND SPACE WILL PROVIDE THE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
SO IT'S AS IF WE WERE DOWN AT CARPET LEVEL
WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS ON THE SURFACE AND THEN
WE'D GET UP AND WE SEE THE PATTERNS A LITTLE
BIT DIFFERENTLY, AND THEN WE GET INTO SPACE AND
SEE THIS WHOLE CORRIDOR.
BUT WE SEE DIFFERENT PATTERNS THAT WE DIDN'T
EVEN KNOW EXISTED.
SO THE SPACE STATION CAN PROVIDE US THESE IMAGES.
SO WE CAN ACTUALLY CONSTRUCT PART
OF THAT FLIGHT.
A PART OF THAT QUARTER OF ONE OF THESE SPECIES.
GROWING UP AS A, AS A CANADIAN, UH, DR.
BONDAR WAS ONE OF MY HEROES.
SO SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE ASTRONAUT THAT
WE HAD THAT IN CANADA.
AND, UH, I ALWAYS KIND OF LOOKED UP TO HER AS
SHE WAS ALSO A SCIENTIST AND A PHYSICIAN.
AND THERE SHE WAS OFFERING ME THE CHANCE
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PROJECT.
AND I LOVE BECAUSE IT'S FIT WITH MY, MY
HOPES OF A SHARING FROM SPACE STATION MY LOVE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF TAKING PHOTOS OF
THE EARTH FROM SPACE STATION IS THAT WE'RE
GROWING PRETTY FAST.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING AROUND THE WORLD AND
ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF FLYING AT THE
FIVE MILES A SECOND.
AND AS YOU GET TO THE CUPOLA, GET YOUR
CAMERA READY, YOU'RE LOOKING AT PREVIOUS
IMAGES, SATELLITE IMAGERY, TRYING TO WRAP
YOUR MIND AROUND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SEE.
AND THEN YOU'LL LOOK FORWARD TOWARDS,
YOU KNOW, THE LIMB OF THE EARTH AS THE
EARTH IS THE SCENE IS COMING TOWARDS YOU.
IT'S COMING PRETTY FAST AND YOU GOT TO IDENTIFY
IT FROM THE HORIZON AS IT APPROACHES.
CAUSE YOU DON'T, YOU HAVE MAYBE JUST A FEW SECONDS
AS YOU'RE FLYING OVER THAT LOCATION AND THEN
IT KIND OF YOU LOOK BACK AND MAYBE YOU HAVE A FEW
MORE CHANCES AS YOU'RE FLYING AWAY FROM IT,
BUT THAT'S IT, THE WHOLE THING LASTS, YOU KNOW,
WAY LESS THAN A MINUTE.
UH, BUT UH, KIND OF CHASING THE RIGHT
FRAME IS A BIT OF AN ART BECAUSE YOU
ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE.
TO DATE WE HAVE AT LEAST I'D SAY SOMEWHERE
BETWEEN 24, 25,000 IMAGES PROVIDED TO US FROM NASA.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE LARGER IMAGERY PROJECTS
THAT WE'VE WORKED ON.
TYPICALLY WE WORK WITH RESEARCHERS OR SCIENTISTS
THAT ARE LOOKING AT A FEW DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS ON EARTH, MAYBE NO MORE THAN 10.
AND THIS ENDED UP BEING ABOUT 50 DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS ON EARTH THAT WE WANTED BOTH NADIR
LOOKING SHOTS, WHICH IS A STRAIGHT DOWN
LIVING SHOT AS WELL AS EARTH LIMB SHOTS.
WE WORKED WITH VARIOUS CREW MEMBERS OVER THE
YEARS TO TAKE A LOT OF THESE PHOTOS, BUT WE
ALSO REACHED BACK INTO OUR DATABASE OF OVER
4 MILLION ASTRONAUT PHOTOS JUST TO SEE
WHAT ALREADY EXISTED.
WE GET EXCITED WHEN EXTERNAL GROUPS SEEK
OUT THESE TYPES OF IMAGERY PROJECTS WITH
US, ESPECIALLY SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH GROUPS.
SPACE EXPLORATION REALLY OFFERS US AN AMAZING
PERSPECTIVE ON OUR HOME.
AND I THINK THIS PROJECT IS A, IS A BEAUTIFUL
EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN KIND OF SCRATCH
OUR HEADS, TAKE A FEW STEPS BACK, LOOK
AT THE BIG PICTURE.
IT'S ABOUT TAKING THAT CREATIVITY THAT WE'RE
OFFERED IN SPACE, COMBINING THAT WITH
AERIAL SHOTS OF GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO
WHEN THEY PUT THEIR FEET ON THE GROUND, TO ME IS
AN EXTRAORDINARY WAY OF TRYING TO BRING TOGETHER
THIS EMOTIONAL STORY OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HABITAT
PROTECTIONS SO THAT THESE BEAUTIFUL, MAGNIFICENT
CREATURES THAT FLY THE WAY WE DO IN SPACE CAN
SURVIVE ON OUR PLANET FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.