Marc Garneau pays a visit to Helsinki

Dr. Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut in space and the president of the Canadian Space Agency, paid a visit to Helsinki on March 22, 2004. He was the keynote speaker in the inaugural session of the Northern Dialogues series, an initiative of the Canadian Embassy in Helsinki and the Renvall Institute at the University of Helsinki.

Professor Petteri Taalas, the director general of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, accompanied Dr. Garneau. The session was opened by Canadian Ambassador Adele Dion and moderated by Dr. Markku Henriksson from the Renvall Institute.

Dr. Garneau and Professor Taalas reflected on the theme of the session, "Northern Perspectives—Using Space Technology to Serve Life on Earth". Dr. Garneau spoke of how Canada has turned to space to serve its people in different ways, including environmental monitoring, connecting the country via satellite communication, and security issues.

Circumpolar cooperation is critical

Canada launched its first satellite, Alouette-1, in 1962 to study the sun and related phenomena. Over the years Canada has launched numerous satellites, the newest one being Anik F2, which is slated for launch in 2004. The aim of this communications satellite is to connect Canada's most remote communities—including 633 aboriginal communities that depend on satellite access—to communicate with each other.

Dr. Garneau insisted that it is critical to pool our knowledge in the North, especially when it comes to environmental issues. Since so much information is collected via space research, it is essential that the circumpolar countries share this information in order to monitor, for example, the effects of melting ice sheets and the subsequent consequences for wildlife. Canadian monitoring satellites have yielded enormous amounts of information that has already been used to study these effects.

According to Professor Taalas, Finland and Canada have so much in common that there are many ways the two countries could collaborate in space research projects. Citing some of the similarities—for example, climate and environment—between Canada and Finland, he named several possible joint programs: the upcoming International Polar Year in 2007-2008, planetary missions, upper atmosphere missions and space weather projects.

Professor Taalas also named numerous space-related projects and Europe-wide initiatives which have already produced very useful information for the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Memorable moments

At the conclusion of the session, both men fielded questions from the audience. When asked about some of their most memorable moments while carrying out their jobs and performing research, Dr. Garneau started first by talking about gravity.

He compared the human body to a self-contained lab. He reported that it was interesting to observe the changes the body goes through in space, because the fluids of the body shift so much. He described it as "chicken legs and puffy face." He also pointed out that readapting to gravity after being in space was a very powerful force.

Professor Taalas summed up his most memorable times by saying that he enjoyed all of the opportunities he has had to travel while performing research. He cited several trips to China and Russia as some of the most remarkable trips related to his work.

By Carmen Boudreau-Kiviaho