One is a climatologist and the other is an astronomer. They guide scientific trends in space for their countries. This week, NASA’s new chief scientist Catherine Calvin met in St. Hubert and Ottawa with her Canadian space agency (CSA) colleague Sarah Gallagher. Journalism They were interviewed in Ottawa.
Mathieu Perot Journalism
Q: What were you talking about?
Catherine Calvin: We wanted to talk about our collaboration on climate science and the data that NASA has.
Sarah Gallagher: We have a lot of joint projects. We will receive a sample of the asteroid next year from a NASA mission. We contributed to the SWOT satellite [Topographie des eaux de surface et des océans]which will be released next fall. We are working on Canadarm3 for the Gateway lunar station.
Image provided by the Canadian Space Agency
Sarah Gallagher and Catherine Calvin
What is the SWOT function?
Kavkaz Center: This is a collaboration between NASA and France, with British and Canadian contributions. It will measure for the first time the amount of water in rivers and lakes, and is currently being assessed with scales on site. It is important for energy and agriculture. It will also measure the absorption of heat and carbon from the ocean.
Image from the ASC website
Impression of the artist from the SWOT satellite
Where will the asteroid sample be stored?
SG: CSA Osiris Rex Activated Laser Instrument Probe For sampling the asteroid Benu in 2020. We will have part of this sample. We are in the process of deciding where to store it, probably at our headquarters in Saint-Hubert.
Image from the NASA website
Impression of the artist from the telescope James Webb
Another important Canadian-American collaboration is the James Webb Space Telescope.
Kavkaz Center: Although I’m not an astrophysicist, I woke up early at Christmas to see the start.
SG: The first scientific images will be released on July 12. Several of my colleagues took the next two weeks to work on them. Until now, we only had the technical photos to make sure the tools were working properly. I expect the photos from July 12 to be varied to demonstrate the capabilities of the telescope.
Outside of astrophysics, what are the tangible benefits of space exploration?
SG: Our technology advancement program in space medicine, for example, is specifically aimed at maintaining the health of astronauts aboard the Gateway station. In Earth orbit, an astronaut can be returned to Earth within a few hours. But on the moon it takes a few days. Telemedicine is very useful for remote areas of Canada.
Kavkaz Center: We are trying to grow crops on the International Space Station. There are already ground applications of this program, such as LED lights for indoor cultivation and fertilizer application technology near the roots for less use.
SG: We also have a program for growing containers indoors in Nunavut, the Norvik project. Technicians from the area are trained to deal with it.
Image from the ASC website
Norvik experience in Nunavut
What other missions are in preparation?
Kavkaz Center: The next satellite monitoring system will provide a three-dimensional picture of the atmosphere by the end of the decade.
SG: CSA will provide three tools for this system, two that will look at the edge of the atmosphere and one that will look down. They will trap all particles such as ice and aerosols. These are the biggest uncertainties about the warming and cooling of the Earth.
Will you use the portal to build a rocket for Mars?
SG: We study the resources of the moon. The water is so heavy that if you can take it to the moon, you save on launch costs. It is also possible to use lunar materials to build structures. Experiments with lunar instruments are planned.
Do you think that your appointments will affect women’s access to scientific positions? Have you encountered obstacles as a woman in your career?
SG: I am the first person to hold this position. The obstacles were hidden. For example, you are sometimes asked if you are a PhD student or an assistant professor. When I’m the only woman on a date, I feel a responsibility to be excellent.
Caucasus Center: We also met with the main Canadian scientist Mona Nemer. In my case, there was already a woman in the position I held. At the beginning of my career, I often happened to be the only woman in the meeting. Good thing it’s not like that anymore.
Does a Canadian walk on the moon?
SG: That’s a reasonable expectation. We are Gateway Partners and our astronauts will go there.
Do you expect to see a manned mission to Mars before retirement?
Kavkaz Center: We will do more and more complex missions to and from the moon.
SG: There are very difficult issues to deal with, including the long-term effects of radiation on astronauts. I say: maybe.
Add Comment