Good morning, everyone. Hello everyone.
Welcome to everyone who’s here and everyone joining us through Facebook.
There’s a Facebook Live event happening in conjunction
with our event here today. I’d also like to acknowledge
the presence of members of our Space Advisory Board,
and that includes today the Chair of the Space Advisory Board,
Mrs. Lucie Stojak, so welcome Lucy to the Agency.
Today we’re celebrating science in the presence of its key players.
I’d like to acknowledge the researchers, experts, and
industry representatives who are with us today.
There is a lot of brainpower in this room, that’s for sure.
As you know, the International Space Station is an orbiting laboratory.
During an astronaut’s six-month mission, there are more than 250
experiments conducted on the station. As a partner, Canada has access
to this unique environment, and we have decided to focus our experiments
on better understanding the impact of space on the body.
Canada’s space life sciences community is a leader in this field.
Our contributions have already had an impact. Here are a few examples.
The Age-Reflex Experiment: The first Canadian study on the
station demonstrated that the brain and the spinal cord react more slowly in space.
This helps us better understand a variety of nervous disorders and
spinal injuries here on Earth. Another experiment called Evarm (phonetic)
measured the amount of radiation space walkers receive.
On this picture, I’d like to acknowledge our Canadian astronaut, Dave Williams,
who is also present here today. Its technology is now used to monitor
radiation exposure in about 1,000 cancer clinics worldwide;
it both protects medical staff and measures doses delivered to tumours.
Another experiment called “Vascular” determined the impact
of space on blood vessels. Arteries tend to stiffen much faster in space.
A six-month stay on the ISS can make your arteries age 10 to 20 years.
This suggests that the single daily dose of aerobic exercise that astronauts
do in space is not enough to counter the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
In space, astronauts experience accelerated aging
and all its impacts much faster. The research we are doing
to keep them healthy is also helping people on Earth.
And, again, I’d like to acknowledge a Canadian astronaut, Bob Thirsk,
that you see strapped into the International Space Station there.
And Bob is here also today. So we now see space as not only a destination
but as a means to change the world we live in. In a few minutes,
David Saint-Jacques will introduce the new Canadian experiments
and technologies that will be taken to the space station.
For these projects to arrive at their destination, the Agency serves
as a catalyst for expertise. Over the past five years,
more than 400 professors and students from 17 universities
across Canada and over 25 companies have been
working to advance science on the space station.
I would like to point out the work of the research teams present today
and of course the work of the Agency’s employees.
Thank you for your infectious dedication and passion that inspires the next generation.
I would now like to invite David to introduce to you the scientific projects
that will likely keep him busy during his mission. David?
Thank you Sylvain. Hello everyone. I’m very grateful that I could take a break
in my training world tour to be here at home with you today to speak to you.
It’s my pleasure to introduce to you Canada’s science experiments,
the Canadian technologies that will be joining me on the space adventure that awaits me.
As exciting as it sounds, space is hard on the human body.
Right now I’m training in Russia and in Houston,
and I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been.
In November 2018, I’ll launch the International Space Station.
As soon as I arrive on board, my body will begin to deteriorate.
I’ll quickly start to feel the effects of microgravity.
These are biological hurdles on the path to deeper space travel.
Research in space is important if humans are to explore further,
and for longer periods, especially if humans are ever to set foot on Mars.
So let me tell you what will happen to my body and how the science
being done in space is helping to keep astronauts healthy and safe.
As soon as I arrive in space, my bones will start to weaken due to
weightlessness. Your body is kind of lazy, conservative;
doesn’t need those strong bones? Get rid of them.
Astronauts in space lose more bone mass in a month than an adult over
50 loses in an entire year on Earth.
This is obviously a big deal for upcoming deep space missions.
We have to ensure that astronauts are healthy when they get back.
And imagine astronauts landing on Mars; he has to build a Mars base,
he needs a strong body. So with this research on bone loss we’re
also learning more about osteoporosis here on Earth.
There’s two Canadian experiments that are looking at astronauts’ bones:
The T-Bone study looks at astronaut’s bone quality and strength using
advanced 3D imaging.
Then there’s the Marrow Study that looks inside our bones.
During a space mission, fat accumulates inside the bone marrow leaving
less room for the production of red and white blood cells.
This also happens to people on Earth who are on prolonged bed rest
or have a sedentary lifestyle. Next, my hardened arteries will
also be affected in space. Arteries lose their elasticity.
During a six-month stay on the ISS, they can age the equivalent of 10 to 20
years. Building on the knowledge gained from earlier studies,
the Vascular Echo Experiment looks at why and how this happens
in certain astronauts. The next experiment, Vascular Aging, wants to push
our understanding even further by looking at the combined impacts of
weightlessness, nutrition, physical activity, and radiation on the entire
cardiovascular system.
Because we learned from the original vascular research that astronauts’
bodies don’t process glucose normally, we need to understand the onset of
insulin resistance on orbit. These findings may help refine fitness strategies to
improve the health of Canadians at risk for cardiovascular diseases.
In microgravity, the brain cannot rely on the same signals to map
out the environment. When we want to do complex tasks, like operate
the Canadarm-2, find our way around, carry out navigation activities aboard the station,
it’s critical to have good reference points. Researchers behind
the Wayfinding experiment will literally observe our brain in action
using medical imaging.
Next, when astronauts participate in science experiments on the
station we normally use blood pressure cuff, sensors everywhere,
oxygen saturation monitors, and other devices to keep an eye on our vitals.
The bio-monitor system is an all-in-one smart shirt.
It will allow scientists to conduct new kinds of experiments that require
constant measurements. Now, I’d like to invite you to imagine that you’re living
in the first human colony established outside Earth for a year.
What pops into your mind? Perhaps being away from loved ones, loneliness,
and a stressful, new and sometimes hostile environment.
In spite of everything, we see that astronauts are able to feel at home in
the station. This is the topic of the research project At Home In Space,
the first Canadian psychosocial study carried out in space.
It studies how astronaut crews from around the world learn to live together
and how they are able to create a culture that is specific to this colony,
this new environment for human beings. On another point, there are currently
experiments that cannot be carried out because some cells are damaged
during their return to Earth. A blood sample is taken and frozen and we hope
that it arrives in good condition at the lab. Blood samples that are taken
in space are returned to Earth to be analyzed. To do so, they need to be frozen,
which deprives us of several relevant indicators in order to carry out
research. Moreover, there are delays and risks. The Bio‑analyzer,
which I will be using during my mission, will allow samples to be analyzed,
such as samples of blood, saliva or urine, directly on site aboard the station.
I was a family doctor in Canada’s North before I became an astronaut and I
can attest that this type of device could make a huge difference for remote communities.
Being able to carry out analyses on site and obtain the result right away.
In space, the Bio‑analyzer will be used for another Canadian study:
Immuno Profile, which will be carried out after my mission.
For the first time, we will be able to create a profile of an astronaut’s immune
system for the entire time they are aboard the station.
It should be noted that space can affect the immune system in various
ways: microgravity, radiation exposure and altered sleep cycles.
This wide range of factors increases vulnerability to infections.
And, finally, let me give you a glimpse into the future.
There’s a new experiment, a new technology called
“Micro Prep” (indiscernible) technology, based on centrifugal microfluidics.
It’s automated technology that quickly purifies a liquid sample,
like blood for example, to prepare it for an analysis on a device like the bio-analyzer.
One day this could be used in space to improve the way we conduct a whole
suite of biological experiments.
So these are the experiments the Canadian researchers
are working on with the Agency, many of which I will have the privilege
to conduct myself. As you can see, we’re focused on
keeping astronauts healthy and safe, and it’s very rewarding
to know that this science is also advancing our understanding
of illnesses affecting people right here on Earth.
The great minds behind this research are here with us today.
I hope you take the time to speak to them.
As a scientist myself I am proud to contribute to the work.
I’ll be your hands and eyes up there.
Now I would like to answer a few questions from people who are following
us on social media. Sylvain on Facebook asks: “Is there a specific area
in the international space station that protects you
against strong radiation during solar storms?”
First, I would like to give some background explanation.
On Earth, we’re protected from radiation that comes from the cosmos by the
atmosphere first and also by Earth’s magnetic field.
When we’re aboard the space station, obviously we don’t have the atmosphere
to protect us but we still have the magnetic field that protects us a bit.
This is better than being on the Moon or on Mars, for example;
exposure to radiation there is significant. On the station,
our bedrooms protect us a little more from harmful radiation.
Why do we want to protect ourselves from harmful radiation?
This is because, essentially, it causes cancer.
So, indirectly, all this research to reduce exposure and risk
of radiation in space, in the end, it applies to cancer research.
So yes, we’re thinking about that, particularly for missions to Mars.
That will be very important because a solar storm in space is potentially deadly.
A question from Rim (phon.) on Instagram.
“Personally, is there anything specific that you would like to
accomplish during your mission?
An experience, a photo, an outing?”
We don’t have a lot of free time aboard the station but,
with the little time that we have, astronauts usually like to look out the window.
Because, from space, we get an incredible view of our planet.
I hope to have an opportunity, actually, my deepest
and most personal project is to be able to see this unique view and share
it with as many Canadians as possible, because I think that this view
of the reality of our planet, our environment, is probably one
of the most beautiful things that is made possible by the conquest of space.
Next question. From Roy on Instagram: “How will these studies improve
life on Earth and provide us with advantages?”
Well, as we discussed going along, each one of the experiments that we do
have two impacts; they help us on space but they also help us on Earth,
and it’s important to realize that this is actually an intentional focus
of the CSA’s science investigations. It’s very important for
us to always pick studies that, yes, help space flight
but also they must have some impact for people on Earth.
And I think we can all be very proud that as an Agency,
as a nation, achieving that balance of aiding, helping exploration in the future
while keeping a focus to the realities of life on Earth.
Laura, Instagram: “With your background in emergency medicine,
will most of your experiments be health or medicine based because
of your expertise on the subject?” Well, actually no. You know, this is a focus of
the Canadian government, that whatever we do must have an impact here
on Earth and we chose deliberately medical care or medical sciences as
a focus for our eventual contribution to deeper space exploration.
For us, Canadians, we value, you know, having great healthcare
for everybody; we value having great healthcare for people living in remote
communities. What a remote community, eh; the International Space Station
or a colony on Mars, it’s the same problem so whatever
we figure out that helps the astronauts is going to help us right here on Earth.
Question from Marie-Pascale on Facebook:
“What knowledge do we hope to gain from the experiments to apply
to future space exploration?”
This is even more important, perhaps, for me as an astronaut because
for now Space Station is orbiting the Earth, not too far,
you can always fantasize coming back to Earth; if you have a problem,
you can always call someone for advice.
But if you’re on your way to Mars, eh, not so much;
you’ve got to be autonomous. So all these technologies
that we are developing, they’re helping us develop medical autonomy.
And medical autonomy for space missions will translate for autonomy
for rural communities; autonomy for people who are bedbound;
autonomy for people who find it difficult just to go to the clinic and they have
to stay at home. Autonomy, for example, for military on missions,
for exploration teams on ships or on mountains.
So this is all going to contribute to just a safer world.
I’d like to thank you. I’d like to acknowledge everyone on Facebook.
And I’d also like to thank everyone who is present at the
Canadian Space Agency’s conference centre in St. Hubert.
Have a good day everyone. I’d now like to invite Mr. Laporte
and all the scientists who are here with us to come up to the podium for
a little group photo. Come onstage for a group photo.