Marc Garneau [Image Source: http://www.space.gc.ca]
Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to fly on a
NASA mission to space in 1984. Academically an electrical engineer, Garneau has
been a passionate educator and trailblazer for space exploration, on the ground
or in the air. During his 15 years as an astronaut, Garneau flew three times and
made countless contributions to the Canadian space program, eventually becoming
its president.
Marc Garneau received his Doctorate in Electrical
Engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London,
England, in 1973. He attended the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College of
Toronto in 1982-1983.
Marc Garneau was a Combat Systems Engineer in
HMCS Algonquin from 1974-76. While serving as an instructor in naval weapon
systems at the Canadian
Forces Fleet School in Halifax, 1976-77, he designed a simulator for use in
training weapons officers in the use of missile systems aboard Tribal class
destroyers. He served as Project Engineer in naval weapon systems in Ottawa
from 1977 to 1980. He returned to Halifax
with the Naval Engineering Unit, which troubleshoots and performs trials on
ship-fitted equipment, and helped develop an aircraft-towed target system for
the scoring of naval gunnery accuracy. Promoted to Commander in 1982 while at
Staff College, he was transferred to Ottawa in 1983 and became design authority
for naval communications and electronic warfare equipment and systems. In
January 1986, he was promoted to Captain. He retired from the Navy in 1989. He
is one of six Canadian astronauts selected in December 1983. He was seconded to
the Canadian Astronaut Program from the Department of National Defence in
February 1984 to begin astronaut training. He became the first Canadian
astronaut to fly in space as a Payload Specialist on Shuttle Mission 41-G in
October 1984. He was named Deputy Director of the Canadian Astronaut Program in
1989, providing technical and program support in the preparation of experiments
to fly during future Canadian missions. He was selected for Mission Specialist
training in July 1992.
Marc Garneau reported to the Johnson Space Center
in August 1992. He completed a one-year training and evaluation program to be
qualified for flight assignment as a Mission Specialist. He initially worked on
technical issues for the Astronaut Office Robotics Integration Team and
subsequently served as Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control during
Shuttle flights. A veteran of three space flights (STS-41G in 1984, STS-77 in
1996 and STS-97 in 2000), Marc Garneau has logged over 677 hours in space. In
February 2001, Marc Garneau was appointed Executive Vice President, Canadian
Space Agency. He was subsequently appointed President of the Canadian Space
Agency, effective November 22, 2001. He resigned from this position on November 28, 2005, to run for office in the federal election.
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