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Canada’s role in the final frontier explored through new website

A new initiative spearheaded by Western University’s Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX) is destined to change the way Canadians think about Earth’s final frontier.

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A new initiative spearheaded by Western University’s Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX) is destined to change the way Canadians think about Earth’s final frontier.

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It’s called Space Matters and it’s a multi-platform initiative delivered through a virtual hub — spacematters.ca — with the overarching goal of advancing awareness about space.

“People know space and they are keen on space, but they are relatively ignorant of Canada’s role in space,” says Gordon Osinski, director of CPSX, Canada’s leading post-secondary centre for space science and exploration research training in Canada.

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The website will offer some often underplayed or simply unknown golden historical nuggets. For example: Did you know that thanks to Londoner John H. Chapman, Canada launched one of the first satellites in space?

The Alouette-I scientific satellite lifted off on Sept. 29, 1962, marking Canada’s entry into the space age. The event was seen by many as the beginning of the most progressive space program of that era.

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With the Alouette’s launch, Canada became the first nation, after the Russian and American superpowers, to design and build its own artificial Earth satellite.

Chapman, who received his undergraduate degree in radio astronomy from Western University, is widely regarded as the father of the Canadian space program.

In fact, the Canadian Space Agency, based in Montreal, is named after him. And that’s another nugget: Who knew Canada actually had its own space agency?

“Everyone always thinks about NASA, but in actuality, after Russia and the U.S., Canada has put the most astronauts in space and that’s really great for a small country like ours,” says Osinski.

The Space Matters website will offer a visual historical timeline of Canada’s space program, along with a weekly blog element highlighting key Canadian players in the space industry from astronauts to scientists and telecommunications experts.

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It will also be a connector of people and communities, a touchstone and a hearty source of interactive information.

“Of course the general idea is to raise awareness, but it’s also about looking to the future. There is just so much going on in space – what with private companies launching private rockets – you may already be able to buy a ticket with Virgin Galactic. Really the whole space arena is changing with many more players, not just government,” says Osinski.

He also adds that space transcends borders and political climates.

“Space is an area where countries and people tend to come together for the benefit of everyone,” says Osinski.

Here’s another thought gem: life as we know it wouldn’t exist without space.

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“Most are unaware that our technological everyday life would grind to a halt without satellites. People take it for granted – but everybody uses smartphones, and things like navigation and banking – all of those systems rely on a space community and industry,” says Osinski.

And Canadian researchers and innovators are at the forefront, especially in the realm of telecommunications.

Osinski, who has more degrees than one can count, says that getting people hooked into space is a good thing on so many levels. One of the initiative’s goals is to tease young minds, using space as the gateway topic into the world of science, hopefully promoting careers in STEM areas. It’s an educational pathway in Canada that is currently losing steam — only 16 per cent of degrees awarded are in STEM specializations — yet job prospects are exploding, growing almost twice as fast as any other profession.

Funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada assisted with the initiative’s jumpstart. The Hon. Kirsty Duncan, minister of science and sport, announced the funding award in early September to kick off Science Literacy Week.

The website, spacematters.ca, will launch in November.

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