Answers from space: Canadian astronaut Saint-Jacques launches Spectrum science and engineering expo

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Grade school and university students filled the chairs in Convocation Hall at the University of Saskatchewan on Thursday morning for an opportunity to speak through a live video feed with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, a member of the three-person crew currently on board the International Space Station.

Saint-Jacques floated weightless on a giant screen at the front of the room, playfully tossing a wireless mic from one hand to the other; it drifted across the screen between the students’ questions.

He answered queries about how the ISS astronauts relieve themselves (there’s a suction device), how they get water (a machine on board recycles wastewater into drinking water) and how compasses function in space (they’re still within range of Earth’s magnetic field, so they still work).

The question and answer session was the first event at this year’s Cameco Spectrum, an interactive event that showcases innovations in science, technology and engineering. The exhibition, which runs until Sunday, is organized by students in the College of Engineering and finds its roots in the University of Saskatchewan Engineering Show, first held in 1930.

A question from a child named Emily gave Saint-Jacques pause: “How does it feel to know that you’re floating in a piece of metal and in an endless void?”

“That’s a scary question,” he replied to audience laughter.

“While you’re here inside the station, you don’t really realize that because you don’t see outside. It feels very normal, other than the fact that you’re floating — that’s not very normal, that’s the only reminder that you’re (in) orbit in space.”

Retired astronaut Dave Williams, who introduced Saint-Jacques, got in a question of his own at the end of the session, asking what he thinks is the best part about being in space. Saint-Jacques told him it was the view — the Earth looks alive, he said. Space, on the other hand, appears dead.

Williams was an ISS astronaut and holds the Canadian record for longest space walk, spending 17 hours and 47 minutes outside the space station. He said he remembers watching Alan Shepard’s 1961 launch into space as a seven-year-old in Saskatoon, describing that experience as seminal in his life. It “galvanated” his determination to become an astronaut, he said.

The chance to interact with someone who has travelled into space has the potential to have a similar effect on the students in the audience.

“I think that events like today are so important for kids, because who knows what’s going to capture their imagination?” Williams said.

“Today’s event, where we’re speaking to David Saint-Jacques live aboard the International Space Station wearing the Canadian Space Agency shirt, helps all the kids today realize that this is a dream for them that may come true. Get rid of the letters I-M out of the word ‘impossible’ and make the possible, possible. Who knows? Maybe one of today’s audience members will one day be walking on the surface of Mars.”

tjames@postmedia.com