Canadarm

We start today with a Canadian innovation in space- the STEM antenna, which is rolled up inside a satellite during launch, and rolls back out for deployment in orbit. It was a product of the government's National Research Council ahead of the launch of the first Alouette satellite. The concept has continued to be used since.

Another Canadian innovation has been the Canadarm, a large robotic arm that went on the space shuttles, as well as being present as part of the International Space Station. One of the Canadarms has its home here.

Its current incarnation, the Canadarm2 is part of a combined set of three tools designed by the Canadian Space Agency for use in space- the others being the Mobile Base System, which provides the base and which moves along the space station, and Dextre, a versatile robot for precise work that can be mounted to the end of the Canadarm or on its own at key grapple points on the station.

Bill Helin, an artist of indigenous roots, designed this for the Canadian Space Agency, and it pays respects to the First Nations peoples of the country and the common belief in the Thunderbird. A blanket of the full design is beside a mission patch that was worn by Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk.

Canadians have been to space on multiple occasions, and continue to do so.

Here are Canadian astronaut utility flight suits.

And here is a model of the Soyuz spacecraft, which is the primary vehicle to actually get to the ISS. We'll pick up here tomorrow.