Why is marc garneau a famous canadian

It had a print run of , stamps. The stamps were issued in panes of eight SC In addition to flying aboard the Challenger in , he flew aboard Endeavour in as well as He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering and is an officer of the Order of Canada. He was seconded to the Canadian Astronaut Program from the Department of National Defence in February to begin astronaut training. He was named Deputy Director of the Canadian Astronaut Program in , 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 He completed a one-year training and evaluation program to be qualified for flight assignment as a Mission Specialist. He resigned from this position on November 28, , to run for office in the federal election.

He was promoted Companion of the Order of Canada in , having been appointed as an Officer in Garneau flew on two further flights. He was mission specialist on space shuttle Endeavour, flight STS, from May , , which focused primarily on micro-gravity research effects of weightlessness and the launch and retrieval of the Spartan spacecraft using the Canadarm.

For his third space flight, STS, he was mission specialist and flight engineer on the Endeavour from November 30 to December 11, P6 included the first large solar panels to be deployed on the Station. He used the Canadarm to maneuver the gigantic P6 truss segment out of the cargo bay and into place, manipulating the robotic arm from inside the spacecraft while two of his crew mates completed operations from the outside.

The station derives its power from the conversion of solar energy into electrical power, and these new panels greatly increased the power supply for the ISS. In February he was appointed executive vice-president of the Canadian Space Agency CSA , and later that year became its president, a position he held until He drafted the Canadian Space Strategy, a Cabinet-approved document that defined the mandate and the long-term vision of the Canadian Space Program.

A number of major programs were initiated or completed under his leadership. During his tenure as president, Garneau focused on building stronger links between CSA and its stakeholders, the scientific community, government and industry. Without this unique and indispensable Canadian system, now seven successful years in operation, the highly complex ISS simply could not have been built.

His stewardship of this dimension of the ISS program was a major element of Canada's role in an exclusive group of nations. Garneau logged about hours n space during his three missions. Even more importantly, and often working behind the scenes, he used his engineering expertise, his passion and his quiet grace to bring success to Canada's space program and create opportunities for Canadian astronauts who followed in his footsteps.

Passionate about planetary exploration and a visionary in formulating a role for the Canadian scientific community, Garneau has fostered new developments in Canadian technologies and has spoken out in support of another important role for Canada, this time in Moon and Mars exploration. His foresight and convincing leadership are focused on ensuring that Canadian scientists remain at the leading edge of research on our solar system and beyond.